Runaway
by Selected Sound
Summary: The day he carried her from the middle of nowhere to the Jailhouse, Rook had no idea of how things would end. Now he finds himself paying for his mistake with the last person he'd expect by his side.
1. A New Reality

Nathan Rook was scared. For the first time in months genuine fear coursed through his body. As he hid in an abandoned cabin with Faith Seed, planning their escape, he truly felt hopeless. At the mercy of Hope County and its people.

He half expected the Resistance to barge into the hideout at any moment and shoot both of them. Sure he was a Deputy of Montana, but he had gone behind their backs and kept Faith alive and to them that was unforgivable. The only option they had left was to get the hell out of Hope County as fast as they could. He had confidence that the Resistance could take on what was left of the cult and Joseph Seed by themselves. Not that they'd take him back in anyways.

Faith stared at him with a look that seemed mainly disappointed and a bit angry which only made him feel even guiltier. He had failed the Resistance, Sheriff Whitehorse and many others but he wasn't going to fail her. She was his responsibility and oje of the few people he could truly count on, if not the only one.

"We're gonna start our trail from the Henbane River to the Whitetail Mountains and hopefully make it out of Hope County safely." Nathan told her, unable to meet her gaze. If he was honest with himself they'd probably have to keep living on the run. He deserted his position as Junior Deputy and she was a wanted member of the Seed family, they could never return to Hope County after this. His breaths were shaky and his eyes darted from window to window

His treason and her crimes against the residents had ensured the both of them quick deaths.

"So you risk your life everyday for the people of this county and this is how they repay you? Nathan you need to fight back, don't let them ruin your life. Turn me in if you have to just as long as they don't hurt you." Faith practically begged the man beside her.

"Faith,I'm not turning you in and I need you to realize I'm no longer just going against some random cult members or Chosen. We've got the fucking Resistance breathing down our necks! They have recruited so many members it easily dwarfs the cult now. It's gotten so massively big that I'm still surprised we haven't been found yet." He told her exasperated. He needed her to under the severity of the situation. It didn't matter who he was or what he had done, these people were tired, they wanted their old lives back and they saw both of them as obstacles. Obstacles that were going to be removed no matter what

He had fought tooth and nail to keep others safe here in Hope County and now suddenly he was on the same level of evil as Joseph Seed just for keeping her alive. It angered Faith to no end to see how quickly his allies had turned against him. His own friends were hunting them down with the intent to kill.

"I don't want to be left alone anymore..." She whispered the last part softly as tears began to fall. Nathan was quick to pull her into a tight embrace.

"Don't worry, I won't be going anywhere without you. It's alright" Nathan said softly. He hated seeing her cry, it pained him to see her do so, but what the hell could he do? He was just one man, his guns for hire had either turned against him or weren't willing to go against their allies, and the Resistance encompassed all of Hope County. Even if he tried to fight back he'd only end up getting her killed. He couldn't and wouldn't risk that.

Faith cried harder into his chest. She couldn't believe this was happening to Nathan. The Montana Deputy had started something with the people out here. His actions gave many people in the Resistance the strength and courage to fight against Eden's Gate and had soon become their unofficial leader. He had inspired so many people to pick up a gun and fight against the Joseph and his family to reclaim and rebuild their homes. He saved her life after she tried to kill him, convinced her to leave Joseph and the project behind and not only forgave her, but threw his position as Deputy and broke his trust amongst his allies to keep her safe.

Nathan let her cry into his chest a bit longer till she fell asleep. He looked outside the window of the abandoned cabin they took refuge in to see that it was dark already, he guessed around 9 PM.

He felt his eyelids getting heavier as sleep called him. Knowing that it would take the Resistance at least a few days to even consider searching the cabin, though he was still as vigilant as ever, he allowed himself a few hours of rest. He knew he'd need the rest for their trip.

Nathan was awoken by the blinding light of the early morning sun. Wincing at the intensity of the light he tried standing from the bed only to be pushed back down to the mattress by something, or should he say someone. That someone was Faith. She was sleeping soundly on his chest, her light snores being the only notable sounds in the cabin aside from the radio in the kitchen. He smiled as she, still asleep, muttered something and snuggled deeper into his chest. He was going to keep her safe, even if it killed him

He slipped his way out of her grasp and walked over to the kitchen where he began to make breakfast. The Monkees were playing in the radio as they sang about some pleasant valley. The music coupled with the beauty of mornings in Montana made the everything seem almost peaceful. An ironic contrast to the situation he and Faith were in.

After Faith woke up and they had their breakfast which composed of pancakes, bacon and eggs, and orange juice (Nathan thanked whoever once lived here for leaving the food behind. Though he had to guess it wasn't by choice.), they decided to relax a bit longer before eventually heading out.

"So what's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you? And you can't back out or lie!" Faith asked the deputy as they sat on the living room couch, or more like Nathan sat and she rested on him. They had been playing a questions game for about twenty minutes and it was her turn to ask.

"Well... Let me see, hmmm. Oh I got it! So a couple of weeks ago Hurk and I were hunting near the F.A.N.G Center for some skins to sell. We had been hunting for a while when we came across this bliss dosed skunk looking higher than a giraffe and Hurk decides to pick it up." Nathan began to crack up at the mention of his old friend. He had contemplated asking Hurk for help, knowing he wouldn't turn him in, but Rook ultimately decided not to. He wouldn't risk his friendus safety by asking for his help. Faith smiled brightly seeing Nathan laugh for the first time in days.

"So Drubman, being the genius that he is, starts waving it around, laughing at how docile it was. When the thing sprays and it sprays a lot. All over our clothes, skin and eyes, it got _everywhere_. I'm not proud to say that we fell to the ground nearly crying our eyes out at the smell and burning sensation in our skin." He told her, turning red as she laughed at his misfortune. He decided to omit the fact that they were both also high after experimenting with some...oregano, courtesy of Sharky. And that the skunk soon proceeded to bite Hurk's genitals and Nathan's fingers.

"Believe me when I say that it got way worse. So Eli and the Whitetail Militia had cameras all over that region and one of them recorded the whole ordeal. They turned the recording into a VHS and it spread like wildfire across the county. Falls End, The Jailhouse, 8-Bit Pizzeria, the Whitetail Bunker, everyone had a copy and everything with a screen played it. Hurk and I were the laughing stock of the Resistance. I didn't dare show my face to any of those places for days after the incident, Hurk didn't seem to care though." He finished his story as red as a beet. Faith however found it completely hilarious, giggling like crazy at the Rookie's mishap.

Nathan would help but smile at her. Like everything else about her, he found her laugh intoxicating. She soon stopped laughing and wiped the tears from her eyes. Sighing happily she laid her head on his shoulder.

"We're leaving in a couple hours right?" She asked

"Yeah, we need to head out early if we want to make any notable progress" He replied.

Nathan couldn't be more grateful for moments like these that took his mind off all their worries. They'd have to leave in a few hours for their safety, but as long as she was with him he'd ensure no harm would come to her...

Nathan decided to recheck their supplies for the trip right before departing, incase they needed anything _M1911 and ammo? check, extra clothes? check, food? check, toiletries? check._

Once everything was in order they left the cabin in direction of the road. Nathan hoped better days were to come, though sadly he knew he was asking for much. The road ahead would be nothing but dangerous and they had to be ready or they'd never make it out of Hope County alive


	2. Lost Hope

Soon after they had restocked in supplies they departed the cabin, setting off towards the main road leading away from the Hope County Jail. They still kept to the treeline for fear of being caught. A wolve, snake, even a bear he could deal with. Over a thousand angry people? No.

Thankfully it was still early morning, around 9 AM, which gave them enough time start their walk without the sun beating down on the too much

They walked in silence which gave Nathan ample time to reflect on past events up to this point. From Junior Deputy to wanted criminal. Oh how the mighty have fallen… He thought bitterly. He went from being praised by everyone to having a .44 aimed at his head for simply doing his fucking job!

Arrest Joseph and his siblings, that's what this whole ordeal was about. Now it was "arrest the Seeds, shoot Rook for harboring a criminal". It didn't make any sense! For God's sake he captured Faith Seed! Maybe that was why… Faith had caused so much damage to most living in the Henbane Region that keeping that specific Seed alive seemed crazy. Nathan didn't need to wonder how the other regions would've reacted to him keeping John or Jacob alive. Faith was a good enough answer...

What was so difficult for these people to understand? The whole point of him keeping Faith alive was to eventually arrest her; he didn't originally plan on letting her walk away with her hands clean. She was gonna face jailtime for all her crimes, but the people of Hope County weren't having it.

And thanks to his strict adherence to the "law", It took less than a month for his life to go spiraling downhill

It originally started off fine. The Cougars voiced their discomfort but Whitehorse and the others kept them at bay. Soon they began to see his friendliness and protective attitude towards Faith as a sign of conversion, manipulation on Faith's part or as Jess put it: Joseph's flower whore at work. He'd come back from liberating outposts to find usually cowered in fear, asking him to stay a bit longer with her, till she fell asleep at least.

It didn't stop there though, soon both of Faith's daily food rations were being either misplaced, eaten by someone else or thrown so he had to resort to hunting his own food and smuggling it in for Faith to eat. Day after day, cruel and crude comments involving Nathan and Faith were whispered throughout the jail. He did his best to ignore them, focusing on liberating the county, but some did manage to anger him specifically the "From Joseph's whore to the Deputy's plaything". One that spread like wildfire being silenced only after he confronted the originator, but more followed. Of course he was the only one that heard them, she spent her time in her cell reading books, playing board games with him or just talking amongst each other about menial things. He knew she wasn't a bad person, she'd been manipulated by the failed hipster looking fuck Joseph into believing his every word

He wanted to get her out of there but couldn't just yet, and that was his mistake

Even in other areas of Hope County people became less trusting of him. The Whitetail Mountains, thanks to Tammy's already distrustful attitude towards him, now monitored Nathan at all times making him constantly feel watched. Falls End also, although to a lesser extent, seemed to have done a complete 180 regarding their reception of deputy. Mary May and Pastor Jerome still regarded him in a friendly manner though he could easily sense their discomfort around him, like they were afraid he'd start preaching the word of Joseph or something.

The only people he could seem to trust were a few of his guns for hire like Nick, Adelaide, Hurk and Sharky. Jess was the first to stop helping him claiming "She wasn't helping anyone that was friends with the peggie bitch" and Grace who just refused to even acknowledge he even existed.

It all only got progressive worse as time went on.

All those accusations that couldn't be any farther from the truth. He just wanted her to be comfortable in an environment where everyone was openly hostile towards her. Didn't take long for said hostility to drift over to him though.

He remembered waking up that fateful day to a lot of commotion in one of the nearby cells. Slight annoyance in being awoken turned to bone chilling dread in a fraction of a second as he remembered who exactly was in said nearby cell. He requested to the Sheriff that Faith be given a room to sleep in the second, unused floor of the Hope County Jail to keep her safe. He bolted from his room over to Faith's when he saw just what was happening.

"Times up now Rachel" He heard Tracey as he reached the cell.

He turned to see that Faith was cornered up against the wall of her cell, tears falling and breathing rapidly. Just outside her celldoor were about twenty Cougars all armed with weapons demanding Tracey open the door. He ran to shove Tracey away from the door and snatched the keyring from the lock. He turned to face the mob who looked none to happy to see him. Tracey stood up and glared at the deputy.

"What the fuck is going on? What are you doing here!?" Nathan shouted at everyone. Had this been before everyone started hating his guts, they all would've scurried away pissing their pants. Deputy Nathan Rook wasn't one to kid around much and he held authority and respect. Most certainly not a man to be trifled with. Now everyone ignored his words and instead focused on Faith behind him all except for Tracey, Jess and a few others.

"This is none of your business deputy so I suggest you back the fuck off." Tracey told him angrily. Did she fucking snap already?

"This is very much so my business Tracey, she's my prisoner ergo she's my responsibility. I don't appreciate you bringing a mob to do god knows what to her." Nathan told the shorter woman. She looked angry then her scowl turned to a sneer

"What's going on between the both of you deputy? You seemed to have harbored a liking to the little flower whore behind you. It's like you two are best friends and you suddenly forgot that you had a mission: Defeat the Seed's." Tracy spat. The crowd seemed to agree but Nathan could only think of one thing: Where the hell was Whitehorse?

"Ok first off, we are all part of this mission, not just me. Secondly, do you honestly think I kept her alive for my personal gain?" This was so incredibly stupid! He kept her alive to arrest her. They were seriously angry because he treated her like a human being?

"What does Whitehorse have to say about this?" Nathan asked knowing his boss wouldn't let something like this slide.

"Earl's at Falls End, meeting up with your other co-workers to help take down the Father." Shit! Nathan cursed internally, without Whitehorse they were at the mercy of these people

"None of that matters Rook cause now you have a choice. You hand over Faith willingly or you turn every single member in this Resistance against you. We've had enough of your slacking off to tend to her every need knowing full well she deserves nothing more than death for the damage she's caused." His eyes locked with Tracey's. He wasn't going to let her hurt Faith, he wasn't gonna let anyone hurt her anymore.

The others were getting impatient and shouted things like "Shoot the fucker and get the girl!" "I knew we couldn't trust no pig!" And " Just shoot both of them now!"

"So, what's it gonna be deputy" Tracey asked, knowing that if he didn't to give Faith up, he'd loose his position and support.

Nathan felt betrayed, he felt angry for allowing himself to think that these people were his allies. He was just a weapon for them, means to an end. He was getting Faith out of here.

There was no need for a verbal response, his hand moving subconsciously towards his holster was all the answer they needed.

Junior Deputy Nathan Rook was now an enemy

They had been walking for close to two hours already when suddenly Nathan's thoughts were interrupted by Faith fearful whispering.

"Nathan look!" She pointed at two Resistance members, Cougars as they were still in the Henbane Region, chatting idly near the entrance to the McCallough's Garage. Nathan knew there was at least one more inside as evidenced by the out of key singing he heard from inside along to music blaring on a radio. Quickly scanning the area he noticed two more members up on the roof sharing a cigarette. That made five maybe six.

"Let's go around and maybe they won't see us or maybe through the riverbank behind." Faith suggested. He could hear the slight panic in her voice. He contemplated her idea before remembering.

"We couldn't go anywhere near the main road without being spotted and going behind the Garage was out of the question as the river was next to it and that was heavily patrolled by Resistance boats attempting to remove all Bliss containers." Nathan told her as he crouched down, urging her to do the same. He noticed her frown at him

"Listen, there's no other alternative alright. I'm just gonna go in and out and we're done."

"Fine just be safe. I can't really help you much if you get shot" She ment to say it as a joke but there was no humor in her tone. Faith was scared for his safety and knew very well if he got hurt it would hinder their escape long enough for the Resistance to find them. As he began to walk away she grabbed the sleeve of his shirt forcing him to turn around.

Nathan looked at her confused before being met with a tight hug, which he gladly returned. She pulled away after a bit, much to his disappointment, and looked at him with a stern face.

"You better come back unharmed Nathan" she told him.

"Yes ma'am!" Nathan said jokingly mock saluting her. He hugged her one last time before departing

He took his M1911 out of its holster, mentally thanking Sharky for his insistence in him buying a suppressor all those months back. Now that he thought about it, Why the fuck would shotgun touting Boshaw of all people recommend suppressors?

He told Faith to stay low as he crouched his way over to the side entrance near where the music was playing. Nathan heard a quite obviously drunk man slurring along to the lyrics of "Bad Moon Rising", very off key and jumbled.

Slightly opening the door gave Nathan a good enough view of the garage. He saw the man holding a beer in one hand and a Cheeseburger plush doll puking his guts out on the sink next to the radio. Taking a deep breath and… fire. The man collapsed to the ground gripping his throat as blood spewed out, he withered around gurgling and gasping for air, but went unnoticed by the others.

Nathan recognized the man as Lance Nesmith, a night shift guard from the Jailhouse. Ignoring the guilt building in him he made his way over to the ladder behind the garage. Doing his best to quietly climb it he could hear the two men. Then he heard his name...

Nathan stood absolutely still listening to the radio and the conversation the two men on the roof were having

"So it's true, the deputy turned on the Cougars?" A gruff voice asked. He could hear the disbelief in the man's voice. Another soon voice responded

"Yeah, he took Faith Seed with him, can you fucking believe that son of a bitch? She and her family of lunatics ruined our lives and he still expected us to welcome her with open arms. Bastard was probably sleeping with her, no other reason he'd be spending so much time in her cell." The other man could only muster a "huh.." in response.

Not waiting for them to continue their conversation Nathan quickly finished climbing the ladder. He saw both men sitting in chairs overlooking the entrance and, without hesitation this time, shot both of them. Two rounds entered the gruff voiced man's skull and one in the other man's heart. Dropping himself back to the ground Nathan made his way to the last two men in the entrance. He ran past where Faith was hiding and taking a quick glance he saw her sitting down next to a tree starting at him with a blank expression.

He turned his head back to the two men a few feet ahead of him. Two shots whizzed silently through the air and both men collapsed, pools of blood already forming.

Contempt with his work (Not really, he felt like a terrible human being for killing them) Nathan called Faith over to him. She made her way over grimacing at the dead bodies making him feel even worse. He pulled her over to the actual garage where the red sports car used to be as a way to both shield themselves from the sun and to avoid looking at the bodies

"Always hated the sight of blood…" Faith muttered standing close to him. She grabbed the collar of his shirt and started playing with it to distract her. Nathan looked down at her "Yeah, never liked it either. It got easier to stand over time here fighting. When I first exited Dutch's bunker I couldn't even look at blood without feeling like I was gonna throw up." He remembered the first time he shot a Peggie, it wasn't pretty. His shot went through the enemies throat causing blood to spray everywhere.

Nathan had to empty his previous night's dinner at the lake for a while.

"There's gonna be more right?" Faith asked him. He wasn't sure what exactly she ment more Resistance members or blood? She seemed to have noticed his confusion "Resistance people" she clarified.

"Literally every single person in this county not affiliated with Joseph is part of the Resistance so definitely, but it'll be alright just as we stick to the woods and avoid any major outposts." He tried reassuring her

"So we just gotta keep moving till we find shelter. Shouldn't be long, I know of a few more empty cabins in the nearby area." They had originally planned on staying at their previous refuge a little longer but ultimately decided not to in order to get farther away from Cougar territory.

Faith laced her fingers with his and smiled. God, he loved the way she smiled. Nathan loved everything about her, he just hoped these feelings weren't one-sided. With how close they werehe had a feeling they weren't. Hopefully he'd get to tell her how he truly felt, but all in due time.

Picking up their backpacks they exited the garage and continued their journey accross Hope County.


	3. True Intentions

Nathan usually loved rain. He remembered how as a kid he'd beg his mother to let him go outside when it rained. It helped calm him down, sleep and to think clearly.

Now as he was holding Faith in his arms, carrying her bridal style through the trial leading up to the Seely Cabin, he grew resentment towards the rain.

It had begun unexpectedly raining a day after they left the garage, drenching them head to toe. They began to run to the nearest shelter when Faith's foot got stuck between two rocks, causing her to fall and sprain her ankle. As if that wasn't bad enough they were nearly spotted by a Resistance patrol that came to investigate after hearing Faith groaning in pain. Luckily she kept quiet long enough for him to loose them.

Their presence concerned him greatly, usually anyone out in that deep in the woods was most of the time just a hunter, no true affiliation to the Resistance much less the cult. This was a team of six armed members actively looking for something, but Nathan didn't exactly know what. Had they received reports of cult remnants in the area or were they finally catching up to them? He didn't want to stick around and find out. Though if he had to guess, they probably already found the bodies in McCallough's Garage.

He was hoping to be out of the Henbane in at least two days, but he knew life didn't like him enough to make that happen. As soon as Faith's ankle got better, they were getting out of the region without stopping.

As they passed by the small pond in front of the cabin he noticed the Bliss drifting out of it. Seriously, pond's barely a foot deep. _What're they gonna try and baptize a rat?_ He made his way around the cabin towards the small prepper bunker hatch. Faith turned to look at him visiby confused.

"Where are we going? Cabin's right over there." Her voice sounded strained, he knew she was in a lot of pain. _Need to find her some painkillers_

"Door's sealed shut. It was owned by an ex-Cultist who, after deciding he didn't like the whole schtick the cult had, defected from the Cult. Also it says: "**_DO NOT ENTER_**", and although I may no longer be an officer of the law, I still feel the need to comply. So the bunker is the only way we're getting out of this rain." Nathan told her as he readjusted her so her hands were wrapped around his neck, allowing him to grasp the hatch.

"If we fall… well, better not jinx it so…" Nathan joked, though Faith could hear the unease in his voice

Nathan knew it wasn't a long trip down the stairs but it he'd have to be very careful on his way down. He began climbing down the ladder, feeling the cold air from the A/C as it bit his wet skin. It wasn't very pleasant but it was a much preferable alternative to the rain and the hot, humid air outside.

Thankfully they made it down without a hitch and he walked over to set Faith down in one of the cots. Nathan scanned the small room for any supplies, which there were plenty of, much to his relief. _Guess being a looney prepper has it's uses._

He quickly made his way to close the hatch before going over to check on Faith. She was grasping her foot in pain and gasped as he lifted her foot up to his thigh to see it was red and a bit swollen. "It's going to take at least a week to heal, so that's a week of being bedridden. Try not to move it too much alright? I'll find you some painkillers if I can." With that he set her foot back down, much to her discomfort, and walked over to the bathroom. Faith turned to away from him to lie down. She didn't fail to notice the look of slight annoyance he had as he mentioned how long they had to stay down here.

Faith felt terrible knowing it was her fault that they were now stuck in the Henbane for another week. She'd been careless and because of it cost them precious time. She only hoped he wasn't angry at her, though she knew he had every right to. Her mind soon drifted to everything that happened. She was forever thankful to God that she met Nathan. Since their arrival and eventual escape from Hope County Jail, he'd always been nothing but protective of her. He defended her when she was being constantly verbally harassed in the jailhouse. She remembered how he got into a physical confrontation with an angry member of the Resistance, who'd been one of the more vocal opposers to her stay, decided to take out his frustration on her. Nathan came out with nothing but a very stern reprimand from the Sheriff and the other man with a bruised face and broken pride. She suspected that was one of the breaking points for the Cougars.

Nathan always seemed looked out for her but his kindness stretched far before he let her live after their confrontation. He was always polite when she would appear to him as a Bliss apparition instead of immediately aiming his weapons at her like she had come to expect after he killed Jacob and John. They would have long talks as he travelled across the Henbane Region, usually consisting of her trying to convince him to join Eden's Gate and him politely declining. She mentally cringed at how insistent she was in trying to make him believe "The Father's word". All that aside from that she still got to learn a bit about him thankfully.

He was the youngest of three siblings, always had an interest in police work and greatly admired his grandfather, who was once a sheriff. He got his job as Junior Deputy last year at age 24, just an year older than her now and did his job diligently and without question. Apparently he was also up for promotion when he came to arrest Joseph, though they all knew how that turned out. .

Her chest tightened in pity, Nathan tried his best to protect Hope County, but it screwed him over and labeled him an enemy. She admired that despite all that happened, he harbored no ill-will or resentment towards the Resistance, at least from what she could tell. His selflessness was one of the reasons she fell in love with him, not that she'd dare tell him, not yet. She blushed brightly at the thought

She still needed to know something very important about his decision that day.

Nathan quickly changed to more dry clothes placing his soaked garments in the laundry basket. He looked himself over in the mirror. His usually combed over hair was now all over the place and he had dark rings under his blue eyes. All in all, he didn't look good.

_One can only take care if himself so much while being on the run..._

Though he couldn't stop thinking about the Cougars patrolling the area. Had their manhunt for Joseph and his lackies branch out to him and Faith now? They were more than likely looking for the culprit/s of what happened in the garage. He tried to justify himself, it was either them or us, but that didn't change the feeling of disgust knowing that he had killed 5 of his old allies with barely any hesitation nor would it change their minds.

_Nothing_ he would ever say or do was going to change their minds.

Still, what bothered him the most was to have shown such little remorse in ending their lives. Peggie's he was fine with fighting only because they usually shot at him first, but those people hadn't even provoked him, didn't even know he was there.

_It's best not to think about it, can't change the past_, he thought. Opening the medicine cabinet he got the painkillers for Faith and for the headache he was getting.

Stepping out of the bathroom he saw Faith sitting at the edge of the cot, her head down, looking at her bare feet.

He could see something was bothering her and it wasn't just her ankle.

"Faith? What's wrong?" She looked up at him seemingly startled.

"Oh, uh it-its nothing really, just tired…" Nathan didn't believe that for a second of course. Sitting down next to her he noticed how she looked away from him.

_Why was she nervous?_

"You seem a little off, is everything alright?" He wrapped his arm around around her shoulders, ignoring the dampness of her white dress. She finally looked up at him.

"I just… I just want to say thank you, for everything. You've given up so much just to help me, and I will always be grateful for that but I have to ask you somethings, somethings I've been meaning to ask since we escaped the Jailhouse…" She looked at him straight in the eyes for the first time in a while

"Sure, ask away." Nathan told her, wondering where this was going.

"Why uh, why did you save me. You could've turned me to the Cougars, saved yourself and your job. All of this couldn't have been worth your position as Deputy. Your friends, allies, nearly everyone turned against you because of me, yet you didn't seem to care." She paused for a moment before continuing.

"I also want to know if you feel this was really worth it. I, despite being from here, won't be allowed back if I'm not dead and you will probably be arrested or shot for what you've done. What are we going to do outside Hope County, keep living like criminals?"

Nathan stood in silence for a bit, seemingly thinking of an answer when he finally responded.

"I saved you because of the same reason I saved you the day we fought. You deserve better Faith. After learning what happened to you with your parents and Joseph, I couldn't let you come to harm again. You have been through enough of that already. I made a promise to you as your friend that I would keep you safe and i still intend to see it through." He unzipped his jacket and took out his deputy badge out of his inner pocket, looking at it fondly before his face hardened.

"I know we won't be allowed to set foot on Hope County ever again after this. These people want their homes back and they want them back quickly. They've had to kill neighbors, friends even family to get Hope County back from Eden's Gate. They don't want to do that anymore. They also hardly care if I'm a deputy, seeing as how no law enforcement came to help them they more than likely hate me. Their paranoia has led them to attempt to seize their peace by any means necessary, and they're making strides." Faith swore she saw a pained expression flicker across his face for a split second.

"About what happens after we leave from Hope County, I'm not sure what's gonna to be honest. We'll figure it out don't worry, right now you should go get changed into something dry, I'll cook us something to eat." He instructed her as pat her shoulders and stood up. She fished her clothes out of her backpack which consisted of a red flannel shirt, a pair of jeans and her underwear. She limped her way to the bathroom, really regretting turning down Nathan's offer to carry her. _I could do it on my own just fine_, she thought, _it just hurts a whole lot._

After she changed and took the pills Nathan gave her she laid back in her cot, waiting for him to finish cooking. It smelled delicious and her stomach was growling rather loudly causing her to give Nathan an embarrassed look when he poked his head from the kitchen. Apparently it was that loud. He came back out later with two bowls of beef stew and handed one to her. He sat in the cot opposite to hers and with a half-hearted "dig in!" they began to eat. The stew tasted great and despite already being familiar with them when he cooked for her at the prison, she still felt obligated to complement his cooking skills.

"Thanks, this was my favorite meal growing up so I had to ask mom for the recipe a few years back. Used to eat it all the time when I was a teenager in college. Glad you like it as well." He had wore a charming smile that made her blush though unfortunately he noticed it.

"You're blushing." He smirked at her. Faith's eyes suddenly found the floor very interesting as she tried to defend herself.

"It-Its n-nothing! Just the heat of the stew that's all." She stammered fanning the bowl in an attempt to make her story believable, not noticing there was no steam coming out of it anymore. Nathan just raised an eyebrow in response and a "suuure..." before directing his attention back to his food, much to her relief.

They finished eating their meals in comfortable silence and after they were done Nathan took both their plates and retreated to the kitchen. He came back out looking exhausted, no doubt from their day long travel and carrying Faith around. He laid down in his cot and stared at the ceiling for a while.

"Goodnight Nathan." He heard Faith whisper, turning to face her he smiled.

"'Night Faith". He soon heard her softly snoring.

Nathan knew how dangerous it was to stay at the bunker for so long but he was so tired he didn't care anymore. With a final glance at Faith he thought to himself, _Got__ a whole week to go till we're out of here, might as well make the best of it_.

And with that he fell into deep slumber, uninterrupted by shouts or gunfire; something he had been longing for a long time.

**_A/N: _Changed McCoys to Seely after remembering their individual proximities to the McCallough's Garage. Next chapter will give more on the Resistance's side of the whole ordeal as well as more Faith/Nathan interactions**


	4. Calm Before The Storm

Sheriff Whitehorse arrived after two days to the Hope County Jail with Hudson and Pratt to find Tracey and a few others supplying Cougars with wanted posters. Taking one of the bulletin board he saw just who they were looking for. He felt his jaw drop

'_Junior Deputy Nathan Rook is wanted for desertion and treason. He has abandoned our cause to flee with the Bliss Herald Faith Seed. Do not hesitate to capture them for they are both in the way of the liberation of Hope County._"

He couldn't believe what was going on. There was no way in hell that could've happened. _This has to be some sort of joke, the deputy… an enemy?_

Under the text was a photo of the Deputy and the Seed girl, where they got them from was beyond him. Crumpling the paper in his had, Earl rushed to the main area of the jailhouse to confront Tracey, leaving Hudson and Pratt. He needed answers immediately.

He saw her sitting in one of the tables cleaning her AK-M. Earl slammed the wrinkled poster on the table startling her.

"Tracey you mind telling me what the hell is this!?" He gestured at the paper. "You better have a good explanation as to why one of my deputy's is now considered an enemy." He exclaimed angrily.

Tracey stood up looking just as angry and pointed a finger at Whitehorse. "Well, Sheriff, it was your deputy that turned on us to keep Faith alive. We all know damn well that bitch deserved to die but her little boyfriend wasn't having it. These people weren't going to allow her to just skip along freely, like she hadn't just ruined the lives of everyone here!"

She never really trusted nor liked Nathan, his whole 'holier than thou attitude' got on her nerves. Didn't help that everyone in Hope County basically used to worshipped the ground he stood on. She was about to continue but was interrupted by Whitehorse.

"That isn't for you or anyone else to decide. She was under the custody of Deputy Rook and was to be trialed after this whole mess with the cult. There's a difference between self defense and revenge Tracey, and we can't cross that." He sternly reminded her. She didn't seem fazed by the Sheriff's words

"Sheriff he's already against us, there's no turning back. He shot five of our guys a few days ago." A patrol had in fact discovered the bodies at the McCallough's Garage. Earl looked shocked and asked her to immediately clarify

"He killed them at the garage nearby, according to the patrol that found them all of their guns were in their holsters meaning that either he killed them when they were unaware or they somehow didn't the memo that he had betrayed us allowing him to backstab them" Whitehorse took a seat in the chair next to Tracey, trying to process the information.

_Rook killed five of their own?_

"Tracey I need you to understand the severity of what you're saying, do you have any definite and indisputable proof that it was Deputy Rook that committed those murders?" He questioned. That just wasn't the Deputy he knew. Nathan would never let any harm come to his allies, _ever_.

"Sheriff there hasn't been any sightings of peggie activity at all in the Henbane especially not this close to the prison. There was one patrol the other day, but that had slipped in through the region well after they found the bodies." At that moment Hudson and Pratt ran into the room, Hudson with a look of anger and Pratt with one of disbelief.

"Sheriff what the fuck is this bullshit about Nathan turning on us, huh? There is no way in hell he'd ever do that. We need his side of the story!" Hudson wasn't going to let them slander her friends name. Whitehorse turned to his subordinates and then back to Tracey

"We need to call off this manhunt now. Tell the Cougars to still keep an active lookout for Rook and Faith but to not engage in any form of hostility. If he was the one that killed those people then assure the others he will face the repercussions for his actions." Whitehorse ordered Tracey with a tone of finality. He didn't want to do this to Rook, but he wasn't above the law.

_Jesus Christ Rook, what the hell have you done? _

"That isn't going to work, Sheriff. The folks around here are fucking pissed and they are out for blood. If we try to change their minds they'll fucking revolt and turn on us. Even if we did calm down the Cougars, the Resistance in other parts of Hope County would still be searching for them." Tracey told the Sheriff, knowing very well she wasn't going to allow Rachel and Nathan to get away.

"It's amazing how quickly these people turned on him, fucking hell.." Muttered Hudson as she studied the paper. She knew Nathan wasn't a bad person, far from it. He saved her life and the lives of many more from that fucker John Seed. She had talk with Pastor Jerome a few days ago and he apparently felt terrible for acting so uncomfortable around Nathan. He asked her to apologize on his behalf and to ask Rook to meet him later. She stormed off to the courtyard, too angry to think.

Pratt wondered if Nathan's actions had something to do with the classical conditioning Jacob put him under, but quickly dismissed it as there were no corpses littered throughout the jail. It would've been a massacre had Nathan been under the effects of the conditioning.

Sheriff Whitehorse felt the situation couldn't get any worse. Joseph was still nowhere to be found and Eden's Gate remnants were unifying in impenetrable outposts outside the reach of the Resistance. They began engaging in skirmishes with the Resistance and apparently had successfully taken over another outpost in Holland Valley with the help of their ever present Chosen. Now Rook had up and left his duty as deputy taking Faith along with him.

Whitehorse knew Nathan had become friends with the girl. Best friends from the look on it too. It didn't take a genius to figure out that that's why he fled with her when she was threatened, that and his strong belief's in justice.

He only prayed Rook hadn't yet been found by the Resistance and forced to harm any of them. That would destroy his chances of ever redeeming himself.

_C'mon Rook, we're running on borrowed time here, We need you to make this right…_

The 8-Bit Pizzeria was the usual hang out place of Nathan's Guns For Hire. A place where they could just relax and enjoy themselves, usually only doing so when Nathan was around.

Jess sat on one of the stools next to Grace both drinking the cheap liquor from the cabinet, talking about their experiences in Hope County since Eden's Gate took over .

Hurk and his cousin Sharky were deep into a game of Street Fighter in the arcade machine, yelling obscenities at each other. Nick sat in one of the tables with his wife Kim and daughter Carmina. They all had no idea what they were doing here, all they were told by Pastor Jerome was to wait.

"Sharky I'm telling you man, Ryu is a fucking killing machine. I'm gonna win this one no problem." Hurk taunted.

"No way cuz, the only way your winning is if I let you, which I won't. You're about to be taught a lesson in 'Sharky's Fighter Game Basics'" Sharky shouted at his older cousin.

Jess contemplated going over to shut them up by challenging them to a match, but was interrupt by Pastor Jerome entering the Pizzeria.

"You're all here, excellent. Now, I think we all know it's about time we addressed our situation with Deputy Rook." Jerome spoke calmly. He was well aware that the deputy had run away from the jailhouse with Faith Seed, Sheriff Whitehorse had radioed him earlier and filled him in on what happened.

Jess scoffed at the Pastor

"The fuck's there to address. Nathan screwed us all over by choosing to run away with his personal fucking sex doll Faith Seed!" She exclaimed angrily.

To say she took the Deputy's "betrayal" harshly was an understatement. Not that she'd ever admit to anyone much less him, but she greatly admired Nathan. He was her closest friend so it hurt her like hell to see him betray them all like that. Jess's frown deepened as she thought about her, _Faith fucking Seed_. She was the reason Nathan turned on them, using her fucking charms to make the deputy drop to his knees and kiss her feet.

A manipulator, that's all she was known as. Jess had hoped Nathan wasn't naïve enough to have fallen for her pathetic sob story but she was wrong.

_So very wrong… _

She wouldn't at all surprised if they found Nathan pumped full of bliss like those Angels.

Noticing Jess's face darken, Grace placed her hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"Now, I don't agree with Jess's colorful choice of words, she's right. The Deputy sealed his fate with the people of Hope County when he decided to keep her alive. He very well knew the damage she and her brothers had caused to our homes. I don't harbor any ill will towards the Deputy, far from it. I will forever be grateful to him for helping me defend my father's resting grounds, but I cannot and will not work with someone affiliated in anyway to the Seed's." And with that, Grace slung her rifle in her back and walked out. Pastor Jerome sighed, but he expected that this wouldn't be easy.

"Listen to me, I understand your disappointed with our friend's actions but did any of us ever allow him to explain himself? To explain his reasons as to why? No, we immediately turned our backs on him. I feel a deep disgust within myself knowing I ever felt any sort of discomfort around him. Even though I once asked him to save an Eden's Gate defector."

Nick spoke up this time.

"Pastor, I like the deputy, hell I love the guy. He helped me and my family defend our home from those Eden's Gate fuck's, but we aren't the only ones feeling a bit betrayed by his decisions. The entirety of the Resistance wants both their heads in a silver platter."

"Yeah dude, We love our bro Nate but like, we're gonna get like, eviscerated if we tried anything" Hurk told the Pastor, Sharky's only input was muttering a "yeah what Hurky said…".

Jerome knew trying to help Deputy Rook directly would only result in them being thrown into the whole betrayal ordeal. He felt relief knowing they didn't outright hate him, that meant he could trust them.

"I know you're concerned, I am too, but we need to make the Resistance realize that this vendetta against our friend has gone long enough now. We'd be no better than the cult if the only way we present ourselves is as resentful, cold blooded killers. The Deputy was a beacon of hope for many people and they've lost it. And now they are lost as well." Jerome told the group.

"We need to try and do our best to convince the people of Hope County to give him a chance. After all he's done for everyone here, the least we owe him is an opportunity to defend himself."

"So what do you want us to do?" Nick asked not sounding to sure. He didn't want to risk his family's life again, he now had a daughter to look after.

"I need you to try and convince people as much as you can, but do it subtlety so you won't raise too much suspicion. There's still a lot of people that believe in the Deputy. I'll go speak with the Sheriff about calming down the fire with the Resistance and clearing the Deputy's name." He then turned to Jess, quite surprised she hadn't walked out like Grace.

"Jess, I need you to find Nathan and convince him to meet me at the church. I know you were his closest friend so he'll have to trust you."

"Sure, whatever. I'll bring him to you no problem." She had contemplated searching for him as soon as he left the jail, but was too pissed. at the time she might have ended up killing him.

Jess mentally thanked Pastor Jerome, She was no way in hell helping them by rallying the people and changing their minds on Nathan, she'd leave that to the others. She was going to go find the little shithead, slap some much needed sense into him, and then shove an arrow through Faith's pretty little face.

Despite everything, Jess still felt she needed to help Nathan. He helped her without hesitation when she was trapped at the mill and when they hunted down The Cook. Sure he could be a little uptight and usually very quiet, but he was the only person she could truly count on as a friend. This was the only chance he was getting with her though, one more fuck up and she was done.

_First I'm gonna beat the ever living shit out of you Nathan, then I'm going to help you make things right. After I send the hippie bitch to hell of course…_

And with that, Jess walked out of the bar to begin her hunt for the deputy.

It had been two days since Nathan and Faith had first arrived at the bunker. Nathan was getting restless, anxious to get out of there though he knew Faith wasn't completely healed yet.

She was making progress though, no longer falling to the floor whenever she tried anything other than awkward limping. The day before she tried convincing him that she was ready to go, but Nathan was having none of it. He reminded her that she needed to heal a bit longer, not wanting to worsen the injury and delay their progress any longer.

During the afternoons when he wasn't tending to Faith, Nathan would go out and scout the area surrounding the cabin. He saw the odd Resistance patrol here and there but nothing that actively screamed: "_We're looking for someone_" like the previous one had. He only ever saw one Eden's Gate truck drive by the road, though it was immediately gunned down by a Resistance helicopter.

That's when he noticed a more militaristic Resistance than the rag tag group of angry residents they presented themselves as. They were still that most definitely, but he couldn't help but be amazed at how organized they now were. Three months ago that Peggie truck would've been repurposed and any survivors arrested for interrogation.

Now, not only did they have a ground team pick off injured survivors, but the truck itself was atomized by a C4 explosive. They were actively trying to erase anything related to Eden's Gate from their town. He felt his fear creeping back, things were definitely not going to be easy when traversing out of the Henbane.

Nathan was aware that all bridges leading to the rest of Hope County were now checkpoints, mostly used to ambush any Cult vehicles. He thought about shortcutting over to Holland Valley, where Resistance activity was far less prominent and they could rest for longer. Crossing regions was going to be extremely difficult, seeing as how the bridge leading to the Valley was heavily monitored by the Cougars. Then again he may be completely wrong, all this knowledge came mostly from his time liberating outposts region to region. It may be all the more complicated.

Today was one of those scouting evenings for him. Faith was fast asleep and he had absolutely nothing better to do, so he went outside.

It wasn't too hot out thankfully, though it was barely 1 PM so he guessed it'd get hotter later. He made his way past the pond to the small overlook and took a seat. Nathan had planned today to contact Sheriff Whitehorse but he had left his radio in the Hope County Jail in his room. Fucking great…. Why can't things ever go my way anymore?

His thoughts then brought him back to the liberation of Hope County. It had gone mostly smoothly for him. Hiccups like Jacob's conditioning and John's little tattoo session aside, they had basically most of the town in their hands. And now with the Henbane back in the hands of it's people all that was left was the Father.

Though that wasn't Nathan's mission, not anymore. _He_ was done as far as anyone was concerned. It was up to the Resistance to bring the cult down and for the Sheriff and the other deputies to arrest Joseph, which wasn't a probable outcome.

No, Nathan could picture it already. Joseph at in the middle of Falls End, hanging by a noose while the residents cheered as they probably riddled him with bullets. He pictured his own body somewhere around there as well.

His morbid thinking was interrupted by a yelp followed by "Ow, ow ow ow!" He turned to see Faith sitting next to the hatch grasping her foot in pain. He ran over to her wondering what she was doing outside with her ankle still injured.

"Faith what are you doing, you should be in there resting!" Nathan really wasn't up for carrying her down again. It wasn't that she was heavy or anything, he just didn't want to risk accidentally falling due to imbalance.

"I just wanted to come get some fresh air with you. Plus it's cold in the bunker." He decided not to argue, it was pretty cold in there. He helped her up and they both made their way to the overlook.

"It's a nice day isn't it?" Faith asked. She noticed the frown Nathan had and sighed.

"I'm alright, Nathan, really. It'll be fine in no time." She tried reassuring.

"Oh, I'm sure it will. Especially when you're putting such a big strain on it" Nathan's voice wasn't lacking any sarcasm. She needed to get better and doing something like climbing up stairs, forcing her to put weight on it, wasn't helping.

Faith however wasn't in the mood to argue with him.

"Yes it will, so stop worrying and drop it. I get that you want us to get out of here, I do but complaining won't help or speed up anything."

"Neither will too much walking yet here we are!" _I REALLY need to shut my fucking mouth right now…_

Yet Nathan felt irritated for some reason. Was the stress of everything that had happened getting to him? Regardless, he saw her hurt expression and immediately apologized. She was the last person he should be getting angry at, much less vent his anger on

"I uh.. I'm sorry. I'm just under a lot of stress right now."

"It's because of all that's happened right? You want to talk about it?" Faith offered. Nathan figured why the hell not?, he might as well let everything out.

"I went from hero of Hope County to the worst thing next to Joseph in the eyes of the Resistance in less than a month. That's a really big fall from grace."

"People looked up to me, and expected me to help. To them I was the one that was gonna kick down the doors to the Father's compound and bring him to justice. Not anymore…" Nathan let out a heavy sigh before continuing.

"I should've known keeping you in the Henbane was a big mistake. The wounds were still more than fresh for the Cougars. Everyday they were looking for the smallest excuse to barge into your room and harm you. I didn't let them go anywhere near you of course, so they set their sights on me." He laughed humorlessly, finally letting her know what happened "behind the scenes" during her stay.

"I ignored the side comments about me, but then came the threats of violence against you, those I couldn't ignore. And it's not like they were subtle or anything. No, they let me know they were planning something. That's why I got into that fight with the Resistance member that approach your cell that day."

"I thought I had more than earned their trust. There wasn't a day I didn't risk my life to help them. I was the perfect little soldier, never questioning and always fighting." Nathan knew that wasn't the case, but there was no denying he didn't feel betrayed. Faith held his hand in an attempt to comfort him. It didn't stop the feeling of self hatred and betrayal he had, but he appreciated it.

"I can understand what your going through Nathan, believe me. When I was with the Project, I couldn't make any mistakes. The Father said it made us as a whole look weak." She hated thinking about Eden's Gate anymore. She was content with leaving that part of her life behind.

"I technically didn't matter to the cult as much as John and Jacob did. They were Joseph's siblings by blood, I was only by name. There had already been several Faith's before me so I wasn't anything new." I wasn't truly special to them either…

"They could get rid of me easily. That's why I had to work much harder to please the Father, much more than his brothers. I could be replaced easily. Why do you think it was easier to liberate the Henbane than other regions? I had to work with what I had as a test from the Father to prove to him I was worthy of my name…" Nathan was appalled, but not really surprised. He knew Joseph was more than willing to throw her life away to stop the Resistance and himself.

"I hate myself for falling for his lies, to have been manipulated. My selfish desire to be loved led me to do unspeakable things to the people of this town." She was about to continue but was interrupted by Nathan.

"Selfish? Faith, it wasn't selfish to have wanted to feel appreciated and loved. After what you had been through you deserved nothing less than that. Joseph preyed on your innocence to benefit his cause, that was selfish." Had her parents really done that much harm to her that she felt guilty for wanting affection?.

Faith smiled, she was so grateful to have Nathan as her friend. After years of loneliness, it was good to finally have someone that really cared. It didn't matter to her that Nathan was all she had, he was all she needed. A friend that would always be there for her, someone she could trust.

She didn't know what the future had in store for them but as long as she had him with her, she didn't care. She would continue to trust Nathan just as she always had and just as she always would


	5. New Tommorow

Faith woke up to the radio softly playing music. With a groan, she stood up, glanced at the small clock next to her bed, then glared at the small device across from her. _It's six in the morning, please shut up so I can sleep…_

She thought about going over to it and shutting it off but stopped when she heard someone else singing. She turned to her left and saw Nathan lying in his cot, quietly singing along to the music playing. _How long has he been awake? _

"Nathan?" He turned to her and smiled.

"Hey, radio woke you up too huh? That damn thing's been on the fritz since we got here. Let me go shut it off." Nathan went over to the radio and did so, killing the music. "Just be grateful it was the Beach Boys you woke up to and not the awful static I had to endure." Faith giggled at his joke.

"I don't know who they are, but they interrupted my sleep so I don't like them, and why didn't you turn it off then?" Nathan turned to look at her with feigned shock

"Not a connoisseur of surfer music? Poor taste Ms. Seed, poor taste. And the reason I didn't turn it off was because it wouldn't. At all."

"Pretty surprised it worked this time actually…" He stared at the radio then looked back at her

"You can go back to sleep now if you want to. I'm going outside for a while, so if you need me I'll be up there." And with that he left.

Faith didn't feel like going back to sleep anymore and decided she'd go up with Nathan to talk with him. Thankfully her ankle had already healed, so going up the steps was much easier than days prior. Opening the hatch she could see the sun was barely rising but it was still visible. Once outside Faith saw Nathan seated at the same overlook and took a seat next to him.

Not wanting to just sit in silence, Faith began to strike up a conversation with him

"Today's going to be a busy day huh" Faith was aware that they'd resume their trek in a few more hours. She really wasn't going to miss the coldness of the bunker, or maybe she was. Summers in Montana could get a bit unbearable, at least for her.

"Yeah, we're gonna cut over to Holland Valley. Now, I know what you're thinking: _We're so close to the Whitetail Mountains why not just head up now?_. There is less Resistance activity in the valley giving us more time to find shelter and rest longer." Nathan glanced at her and met her raised eyebrow with a sigh, almost like he expected some sort of complaint.

"What's wrong?"

"We can rest in the Whitetails can we not? Even if there is no resistance at all, going over to the Holland Valley will slow down our progress and will require us to go through the rest of the Henbane" Faith didn't want to go to Holland Valley, she just wanted to get to the Mountains and out of the county as soon as possible.

"We're going to come across Cougar patrols no doubt about it. It's going to lead to inevitable fights and guess who are going to be the first to know? The Whitetail Militia." Nathan told her. "They were already sort of didn't like me after what happened with me and their leader, Eli. Us running away definitely pissed them off even more."

"Plus, do you really want to travel all the way to the mountains with very little rest? Cause I sure don't"

Faith could only assume Nathan knew of places where they could take shelter in. He had traveled almost every inch of Hope County, far more than she ever had and she grew up here. She suddenly felt his hand on her shoulder

"Hey, we're getting out of here don't worry. We just gotta think carefully. We won't make it very far if we go headfirst into danger." Nathan's words and accompanying smile were reassuring, but Faith couldn't help but think that maybe it would be best to just go through the Whitetail Mountains now. It would make their escape much quicker if they did

"Alright, but if something goes wrong I'm blaming you." Faith jokingly told him. Nathan grinned, relieved at the change of tone in their conversation

"Clearly the first time you've ever hung around with me huh? Life always goes my way, I just gotta ask nicely." Both were aware that was a gigantic lie.

"Oh, I don't know "deputy", the last few weeks would beg to differ." Had it been anyone else, Nathan would've been insulted, but he knew Faith would never cross the line intentionally and besides, she was right.

"I'm alive, aren't I? That's a pretty big win in my book, wouldn't you think so?" Faith could only roll her eyes at Nathan's arrogance.

"If that's what you say so, then I guess…" They continued their conversation far into the morning before they made their way back to the bunker to gather their supplies and continue their journey.

As she watched him pack, Faith didn't know how Nathan could maneuver so quickly with everything he carried. He had his Kevlar vest underneath his jacket, his sidearm and rifle and to top it all off, his backpack stuffed to the brim with supplies. He hardly ever broke a sweat either.

It was when she saw him gathering his weapons that Faith contemplated asking Nathan to teach her to use a firearm, but knew he'd turn her down immediately._ He could use the help, he just doesn't know it yet. _

She understood and appreciated his protectiveness but she knew she could help him. She didn't want to feel like a burden. She needed to know how to defend herself now more than she ever had in her life. She used to be able to rely on her people to defend her and sure, one could argue that Nathan was much more capable than a regular cultist he still one man.

And what if Nathan got hurt? That was a near guaranteed possibility with how things had escalated and they would both be vulnerable if he did.

Nathan was still a human being, he could still hurt when shot at, still feel pain like everyone else and above all: he could still die like everyone else. He wasn't some deity of Justice that the Resistance once made him out to be, he was just a regular man trying his best to do the right thing.

She knew that whenever Nathan entered a firefight where he was at a great disadvantage, luck outweighed true skill. He was still a very good marksman no doubt about it, but he seemed to get out of impossible situations, situations that would've been immediate death for others, only by sheer luck. That luck was bound to run out someday, she prayed to God that it wouldn't anytime soon.

Faith knew it was wrong to doubt him. She still trusted him more than anything but the reality was that Nathan wasn't immortal. Resilient yes, invincible no.

They soon departed the bunker and out into Hope County, with Nathan cracking terrible jokes all the way. One could only find "knock knock" jokes funny if they were the age of ten, but Nathan thought they were absolutely hilarious. Faith just scoff at them, finding Nathan's insistence to tell them far more amusing than the jokes themselves. It was refreshing to see him act like that. During the time they had been on the run, Nathan rarely showed any strong emotions aside from his usual quiet politeness.

"It's odd how quickly you and I became friends" Nathan commented. Faith had to agree on that.

"Yeah, a few months ago we were trying to kill each other. That's all in the past now though…" Faith saw Nathan's smile falter for a split second before returning. She felt bad for bringing that up. They soon returned to their comfortable silence when Nathan spoke again.

"Faith do you ever regret leaving Eden's Gate. I mean I know you didn't exactly have much of a choice between leaving or staying in the end but did ever consider going back?"

Nathan's question really caught her off guard. Faith thought of an answer for a moment before responding.

"Had you asked me this question a week or so after you saved me, I would've immediately said yes. At the time I missed the project more than anything. I missed the Father and absolutely hated you." Nathan chuckled, she really did make her hatred towards him apparent after he rescued her. Whether it be by just angrily staring at him or by completely ignoring him and his attempts at conversation.

"Not now though, it would be nice to be back in a comfortable environment, but we both know that's not for us anymore." Faith admitted. They only comfort they could ever find was between themselves. Nathan could only nod in response.

And she was right, things would never go back to the way they once were for both of them. Nathan no longer had a place in the Resistance and Faith could no longer return to the project. They had to make the best with what they had. And all they had was each other.

They had been traveling for about an hour and Nathan could begin to see the outline of the King's Hot Springs Hotel in the distance. Nathan felt a slight panic at the sight of the hotel. It had been over three months since he had been there. As a matter of fact, the only time he had been there was when he liberated the damn place. The end result of the shootout hadn't been pretty. He had been hit in the arm by an LMG round and a rocket nearly scattered his body parts all over the parking area. That was the last time he ever worked alone. That was also one of the few times when he realized just how dangerous it was to go at it against the cult alone.

The Sheriff had really chewed him out when he found out what happened, ordering Nathan to never go without company and he wholeheartedly agreed. Around that time Jess really became a more prominent figure in his life. They became "ass-kicking companions" as she put it or just friends as he knew they both thought of each other.

_Jess_… Thinking about the Huntress made Nathan's chest feel heavy. He really screwed up with her. He completely understood her side of the situation and she had every right to be as angry as she was. She had opened up to him and had told him personal details she would never share with anyone, even with her uncle Dutch. The cult destroyed her family with her being powerless to do anything. It was when she told him what The Cook had done to her that Nathan felt rare and genuine hatred towards a person. A sick human being that Nathan felt justified in killing. Their developing friendship, though consisting of mostly small talk and Peggie murdering, was very important to Nathan if only because he understood Jess's disdain and distrust towards almost everyone else. She openly admitted to being his friend and he this is how he ended up repaying her.

All that trust Jess put in him ended up being misplaced. In the end, here he was, running away from her, the Resistance, and the cult with Faith by his side.

As they neared closer to the hotel Nathan heard Faith gasp and whisper his name. Turning around he saw Faith pointing at something in the small hill to their right. Nathan crept a bit closer to see what she was pointing at and that's when he heard it. _Voices_…

There was a large tree covering what was ahead but he had no doubt it was resistance members. Thankfully due to the tree and a large number of bushes covering the hill itself, they hadn't been seen. He quickly pulled Faith near him and pressed themselves onto the tree. Nathan held a finger to his mouth but Faith didn't need a reminder to know to keep quiet. They could hear the conversation between the members who were only three if the voices were anything to go by.

"Really wished Drubman would stop firing his damn rockets at the lake. Lunatic calls it "fishing", I call it god damn overkill." A feminine voice complained. Nathan smiled, leave it to Hurk to go completely overboard with his methods. Another voice, definitely male, spoke up.

"At least the guy ain't like his father. All Senior does is cry about the hippie libtards ruining his country…"

"Hurk should be using that RPG for something more useful, like bringing down one of those Chosen jet fighters. Those fuckheads are bombing some of our outposts far into the Whitetails." That was the third voice, this time another female.

This was news to Nathan, he hadn't seen any Chosen since the three regions had been liberated. This had to be Joseph's desperate attempts at reclaiming "Cult property". _Looks like the game's over now Joseph…_

Nathan contemplated their options. On one hand, they could retreat to the dirt trail leading to the hotel, exposing them to any vehicles driving through it or they could wait for them to leave, but who knows how long that'd take if they even would. Suddenly a radio went off.

"Yeah? No, we haven't seen them. Seeley's cabin? That place has been empty for months what the hell are we gonna find? Fine, we'll go check it out. Alright, Leslie out." The first female voice spoke up and then addressed her colleagues.

"There's been reports of activity in Seely's cabin. Cougars are hoping it's our little escapees and asked us to check it out." The other female let out a groan

"For real? Could be just some lonely hunter and we're gonna go bother the poor guy. We should've done something at the Jailhouse when we had the chance now we're on this boring ass goose chase. Let's just go."

Their chatter soon left his hearing range, but Nathan waited for a few more minutes till their footsteps moved farther and farther away and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank God their gone, but it looks like we really got to get moving if we don't want them catching up to us." Things were only going to get more dangerous from here till they arrived at Holland Valley.

"How did they find out about us staying at the bunker so quickly?" Faith asked him. Nathan knew it was because of the McCallough's garage incident. They had to have be on high alert since then.

"If I had to guess they were already scouting the area ever since of what I did at the garage. That and they've always been very vigilant of their territory." They had to keep moving, staying any longer in the Henbane could spell death for them. _Once we're at Holland Valley, we'll be safe_

But what exactly did he mean by safety? Nathan was well aware that Holland Valley was still dangerous for them. Maybe not as much as the Henbane River or Whitetail Mountains but it didn't make them invulnerable to anything. Was he over-selling himself the idea that once they were at Holland they'd be able to take it much easier? Definitely, but as long as he could keep Faith safe there then it didn't matter.

"Let's go, there might be more nearby…" He didn't wait to see if she had followed him, Nathan just began walking to the right to circle the hotel. They walked through the treeline behind the hotel, where Nathan had a good view of the entire building. There was a couple of people hanging around but not nearly as many as he expected for such a large place. There was maybe only ten people when he had expected at least thirty. Nathan was aware that people were terrified of this place, "an act of God had claimed the lives of 16 people" or something like that and the bodies were never recovered.

_People are still scared of this place huh? Never been much of believer in the paranormal myself_.

They soon passed the hotel without incident and Nathan saw the main road that went up to the Whitetails and the dirt road that forked over to the other side of the Henbane leading to their destination. He thought about getting a vehicle and driving it up near the bridge to the Valley and ditching it nearby. They weren't that far from the trailer park where he met Sharky. There was sure to be a car or something there.

"You think we can find help in Holland Valley?" Faith asked him, her voice sounded hopeful. Sadly, Nathan knew the answer already.

"No. Maybe Hudson could've helped but she's probably over at the Jailhouse and setting foot in Falls End would sure earn us a bullet or two. I don't want to risk asking Nick or Pastor Jerome for help cause I'd only be endangering them." Are we truly alone? Part of him still held on to the hope that the Resistance would change their minds but a bigger part knew it was too late for that already.

"As long as we don't bring attention to ourselves we'll be alright." Faith nodded and went back to humming 'Amazing Grace'. She has a great singing voice. Nathan had heard her sing many times before, but he never really paid much mind to it as he was always busy fighting for his life.

"_Amazing grace how sweet the sound…_" A verse he would've grown tired of hearing had it been sung by anyone else.

"You have a beautiful voice, you know that?" Nathan complimented her. Faith blushed at his words, she had never really been complimented for her singing.

"Thank you, I love this song. Reminds me of simpler times."

Nathan didn't know if the "simpler times" she was referring to were when she was the infamous Bliss Herald or when she was the innocent Rachel Jessop. He had a feeling it was the former, nothing of her old life was worth relieving…

Checking his wristwatch quickly he saw it was 4 PM. If things went right they'd be at Holland Valley by sunset. Once their they would be able to get their bearings before continuing to the Whitetail Mountains and eventually the outskirts of Hope County.

_We're close, just got to keep pushing… _


	6. More To Life

Hours had passed since Nathan and Faith had the encounter with the Resistance patrol near the King's Hot Springs Hotel. They were approaching the Bridge of Tears and would be in Holland Valley soon.

The sun was high up and although Nathan wasn't too bothered by the heat he could tell Faith was. She was sweating, her cheeks were flushed and though she hid it well, Nathan could still hear her lightly panting. They had stopped only once the whole walk a few hours ago and that was to enter an abandoned gas station so that Faith could use the restroom, then it was back to walking again. He figured now was the time to rest again, for her sake at least.

"We should stop and rest for a little bit. Don't want you falling over because of a heat stroke." Nathan expected her to agree with him and had already began walking to a group of nearby tree stumps to sit down when he heard her say "No."

Turning back to her, Nathan saw her standing, arms crossed and staring at him intently. No?

"What do you mean no? Faith I can see you're tired and so am I. Let's just take a small break to drink something." He wasn't particularly very thirsty but anything to get her to comply. Apparently, that didn't work…

"Nathan we are so close to the bridge why not just cross it now. We can take a break later when we get to a safe place at Holland Valley." _Is she serious? We'll die of exhaustion till we get to any safe house in the valley! _

"Hey c'mon let's not rush things. Faith, you could use the break, you look like you're about to keel over and I'm trying to help. Please, let's just rest." Nathan took her hand and gently guided her to the other tree stump. Faith didn't look happy at all but still took a seat, if only to appease Nathan. He fished out two water bottles from his backpack and handed one to her. She drank nearly the entire bottle in one gulp, gaining a knowing smirk and a raised eyebrow from Nathan.

"I knew you were in need of water. We're not machines Faith, we have to take care of ourselves." Faith nodded, seemingly agreeing with Nathan.

"I'm sorry, it's just that… I want to rest. For a few hours at least. I'm tired of the walking and running…" Faith confessed. Nathan was tired as well and he could understand her anxiousness to get to safety. She wasn't used to this much walking, much less used to doing it with the danger of being caught. It had been less than a day, and even Nathan was beginning to miss the stiff cots from the bunker.

The only reason he wasn't as worn out as Faith was because of the time he spent with Jess. _God_, that woman and her insistence on taking as minimal breaks as possible. _"The time you spend on your ass sleeping Nathan is time wasted so you and I can be killing these fucking peggie bastards."_ He did learn a thing or two about stealth from her. Like how to keep quiet when his loud-ass self (Her words, definitely not his) was crawling around lugging his noisy weapons and bulletproof vest around.

The thing was that Faith was nowhere as strong as Jess. Faith needed a longer time to rest, much more than him. That's why she was anxious to get to a more "permanent" shelter.

"I know, and you'll get to rest as much as you want to once we get to somewhere safe in the Valley."

As they continued to drink Faith asked him a question.

"How come you're not as tired as I am?" She was curious, she could barely see any signs of fatigue on Nathan and here she was dying of thirst.

"Well for starters, I've been doing this whole walking around Hope County thing since I got here basically and the second thing is because of a friend of mine, Jess, you uh… you remember her right? Well, she really conditioned me to tolerate being in the outdoors for so long," Nathan told her.

Faith remembered Jess, _oh she remembered… _She was the hooded woman who threatened to kill her if she tried anything on Nathan. Faith was terrified of her and was one of the reasons she was so hesitant to talk to Nathan when he rescued her. She was sure she'd take it the wrong way and kill her. Thankfully, Nathan didn't let that happen much to Jess's very visible anger.

"Oh, well I guess this is a cakewalk for you, isn't it? I personally can't stand the heat…" Faith couldn't being in the sun for too long courtesy of her pale skin. Nathan shook his head

"I wouldn't say it's a cakewalk but I can definitely power through. I've fared through worse." He explained. Faith felt pressed to ask him what he meant by worse but decided not to. _He'll tell me if he wants to._

"Anyways, we should get going in a few minutes. If you're hungry then eat quickly. Can't stay around too long here, not when we're so close."

The mention of hunger made her stomach growl. She hadn't eaten anything since the night before they left the bunker. There was food in their backpacks but she settled on eating some cookies they took from the bunker. Who knows if we'll have any food where we go to, better save it for later. She always had a sweet tooth and the cookies were just the thing to relive her. After unashamedly stuffing more than a few in her mouth, she turned to offer Nathan but saw him staring off into the distance, more specifically at something near the bridge.

_How did we not see it before?_

There was a black pickup truck parked near the bridge with the word "sinner" sprayed across the hood with what she could assume was blood and was riddled with bullet holes. _Must've been John's people…_ Nathan turned back to her.

"So I know you're tired and I've found a solution to the problem. The only downside is that it may bring attention to ourselves. What do you think?" He jerked a finger over to the vehicle. Judging by the big grin he had, Faith knew he was excited and she wholeheartedly shared his enthusiasm.

"Anything to get us out of this dreadful heat. Let's go!" She exclaimed, quickly cramming the bag of cookies back in her backpack. Nathan laughed and helped her up. She interwove their fingers and practically led him to the truck.

As they neared the vehicle, Nathan couldn't help but feel something was off. He didn't know what exactly but he could tell it had something to do with the truck. He felt it was too damn convenient that the truck was just there. Usually he saw nothing wrong with cars like these, they were usually scattered all around Holland Valley and the Whitetail Mountains, but not here. Not in the Henbane

He scanned the area around but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Faith was oblivious to it all of course, she was much to preoccupied in thanking God for the vehicle. She quickly jumped in the passengers side but before he boarded Nathan took one final look around the area. _Nothing…_

Once he sat in the driver's seat he noticed the lack of keys. Searching the glove compartment he quickly found them and started the engine

Nathan let out a sigh of relief, maybe things were worked out. This had to mean something.

_Are things really going my way?_

Of course they weren't, life made it clear it was ready to screw him over at whatever chance. This time it was by someone burrowing the barrel of a gun on the side of his head.

"Out of the car now, _sinner_…" He heard a gruff voice command, followed by the ever threatening **_clink!_** of a revolver hammer being pulled. Nathan turned to see a borderline homeless looking man aiming a .44 at his head. Would've mistaken him for one too had it not been for the red Eden's Gate emblem in his stained shirt.

"I'm not going to repeat myself again. Out of the car or I blow your brains out." _God fucking damnit!_ Nathan slowly opened the car door and stepped out. The cultist never broke sight of him when he called over to Faith.

"Whoever else is in the truck, you step out with your hands empty or I'll splatter his and your brains all over the floor!" And with that, Faith stepped out staring at the cultist.

"Donovan?" She asked. The man immediately turned to look at her, eyes widening in surprise.

"Lady Faith!? My God I apologize, we thought you were dead! Don't worry ma'am, once this sinner is out of the way I'll take you to wherever The Father is." He turned his attention back to Nathan.

"Sinner, you've brought great misfortune to the people of Eden's Gate. I shall place judgement upon you for the murders of John, Jacob and countless of my brothers and sisters." Nathan could hear the rage in his voice but Faith was quick to step between them.

"Calm down Donovan, there's no need to react so violently. The sinner here has been kind enough to spare me and keep me comfortable. Let's let him go." Faith held her arms behind her, tightly gripping Nathan's handgun.

"But Lady Faith, he destroyed nearly everything the Father worked for! He doesn't deserve to live!" Donovan defended. Faith smiled sweetly at him and giggled.

"Donovan, remember: We must learn to forgive! The Father taught us to forgive, for the do not know what they do. Are you really going to jeopardize your entrance to the Gates of Eden for him?" She cocked her head over at Nathan, discreetly handing his gun over to him with the cultist being none the wiser.

Nathan had almost forgotten how good she was at manipulation. He was honestly impressed

"Just put your gun away, and let's go. Leave it to God to judge this one." Faith cooed, the man looked hesitant at first but did as Faith ordered and holstered his weapon. He nodded and smiled at Faith, he really believed her. He frowned as her sweet expression fell.

"Lady Faith, what's wrong?" Faith winced slightly at the genuine concern in his voice.

"I'm so sorry…" Faith whispered. The man was about to ask what she meant but was silenced as three shots rung out. He collapsed to the floor, grasping at his bleeding torso. He looked up to see Nathan aiming his pistol at him, then he turned to Faith with a look of confusion and hurt. He looked to be on the brink of tears. Coughing up blood, he painfully spoke to Faith again.

"Lady Faith, why?..." He never did get his answer as Nathan shot him two more times, ending his life. Nathan placed his pistol back into it's holster and walked over to Faith.

"Are you alright, I'm sorry you had to see that…" Faith looked away from the dead peggie then looked at him with a blank expression and simply nodded.

"I'm fine, let's just leave, we're wasting time aren't we?" She promptly climbed back into the passengers seat without another word, leaving him to wonder why she suddenly went so quiet.

Nathan started up the truck and drove away. All the while Faith's hand rested on his. She quickly fell asleep in her seat, almost as if to avoid Nathan questioning her. Something was obviously bothering her. The sadness in her eyes when he shot the cultist was real, it wasn't just her manipulation tricks at work. Maybe the cult wasn't as part of her past as she hoped…

She had renounced the cult but Nathan knew it would take more than that to forget what he assumed were fond memories of her time at Eden's Gate. Nathan hated the cult but he knew Faith had been loved by everyone there. He found himself in a similar situation with the Resistance. It was hard to leave all of his friends behind but he had to. They were in the way of Faith's safety and he had promised her she'd never come to harm as long as he was around.

He didn't want to think about his friends right now. He turned on the radio to see if there was anything good playing to keep his mind off the shitty aspects of his life.

_"This is Whitetail Radio, broadcasting from an undisclosed location, it's me Wheaty. There's uh… there's been reports of peggie activity up in the mountains, looks like they are getting pretty desperate. Eden's Gate seems to be on it's knees!. Anyways here's uh… lemme see…. Here's one all you Vietnam vets will remember, or just anyone I guess. It's Goodmorning Starshine by Oliver"_

Nathan loved that song. His mother would sing it to him when he was younger as a means to get him to sleep. He started singing along softly, taking his mind off everything. He could see they were entering Holland Valley already. There was a big welcome billboard but it had a big "YES" spray painted across. Now all that was left was to find somewhere safe, and he knew of a couple of places such as empty cabins, prepper bunkers, etc.

They could finally take a well deserved break from everything.

.

Fauth hadn't actually gone to sleep. She just wanted to avoid Nathan for right now. She wasn't angry at him, but she just needed some time to think by herself.

Faith was no stranger to violence, she had been on both ends of it. Receiving from her parents abuse and the less than hospitable Cougars and she had partaken in it with... _everything_ she did when she was with Eden's Gate. Yet, seeing Nathan kill a memeber of what was once her flock just stayed with her. Donovan was one of her top enforcers and was on his way to become a Priest. He was very friendly with everyone and to see him in his final moments, as he stared at her with those eyes full of hurt. She couldn't take it...

She knew this wasn't anything remotely new to Nathan but to her it was. She had never personally witnessed the death of someone she cared about, so to see that... it just felt so wrong. This wasn't how she had imagined things would have gone once she left Eden's Gate behind her.

She felt that leaving the project for good would give her clarity. Nathan had given her the opportunity to be happy once more on her own accord. Faith felt that he was the only thing that made her happy now. There was no way the project would take her back in now, Hope County wanted her dead, and Tracey, who had once been her best and only friend, was probably the one leading the charge to find and kill her. It was ironic that the man who singlehandedly destroyed her old life was all she had left_. _Her happiness relied solely on Nathan but she was okay with that.

This got her thinking about his side of the situation. Nathan also had nothing left. She knew he still held on to the hope that his friends would change their minds and forgive him, but with her around that would never happen. His friends had either turned their backs on him or were out to kill him. Faith was sure he felt alone in the world.

She needed to make him realize that he wasn't alone, he had _her_. He deserved a chance at happiness just as much, if not more, than she did. Nathan threw his entire life away for her, no one had ever done such a thing for her in her life _ever_.

She opened her eyes and looked over to Nathan. He was to engrossed in the song playing that he didn't notice her not until she ran her hand across his arm, effectively startling him. He turned to her with a look of embarrassment.

"Faith! I-I... I uh.. I thought you were asleep. You scared me." Faith smiled at him. He briefly smiled back before his face turned serious.

"You ready to talk about what happened back there?" _Please no, not right now... _She pleaded internally. Faith knew it was futile, she'd have to tell him eventually.

"It's just... seeing one of my flock again, it just brought back a lot of memories. It was foolish of me to think that just renouncing the project would be enough to forget everything." Nathan felt a pang of guilt. He felt like he had done this to her. She must've noticed his look of guilt because she quickly added.

"It's not your fault Nathan. I turned away from Joseph and his teachings, but that doesn't mean I could ever forget the kindness him and my brothers showed me. I can't just forget Eden's Gate in a few months..." Nathan understood. She still had emotional ties to the cult. He knew how much she loved her family and she probably still did.

"I guess... Just know that I'm here for you alright?" This reminded Faith of what she had to talk to him about.

"Nathan, do you feel alone?" Nathan looked a bit surprised. _Shit, that was straightforward..._

"Yeah I suppose. I miss my friends and family but it's uh... it's fine. I've learned to cope with it ya' know? I see no point in trying to relive the past." He was lying. Everyday he would think of his time as Junior Deputy. From glorified ticket maid to unofficial leader of a resistance in such little time. He made friends with the strangest people like Hurk, Sharky, Jess and Nick. He also missed his parents and his brothers back at Carson City. He wondered if they ever tried contacting him only to be met with silence. He tried to reassure himself that maybe, just maybe, he'd get to see them again one day.

"You're not alone, you have me don't you? Faith comforted him and Nathan smiled_, Of course I do._

"You're absolutely right, I do have you. We're all we have but I don't see a problem with that, do you?" Nathan felt she was all he needed to keep going.

Sure, life could be a total bitch towards Nathan but at least he still had Faith with him so it wasn't all just complete doom and gloom for him. Faith continued.

"It's alright to feel lonely Nathan, I do too sometimes but then I realize that it's all okay because I have you with me. You gave me a chance at happiness that no one else would've given me. I want to make you happy as well." Even though it was sunset and getting a bit dark, Nathan could still see Faith brightly blushing. Maybe there was more to their friendship. Had he ever thought about her in a romantic sense? Of course he had, but he never acted upon it out of fear that maybe she didn't see him that way and also because they had been so busy running away from the Resistance. Maybe it was time they had a talk, but that could wait a bit longer.

"Thank you, Faith. I appreciate it, I really do." It felt awkward to end their conversation like this but Faith didn't seem to mind. She just nodded and closed her eyes again this time she actually fell asleep.

.

After about 15 minutes of driving Nathan made it up to the road that lead to the Sawyer Residence. He remember the place being completely empty when he was running errands for Agent Willis months ago. _That bastard said he was going to help me, then he leaves because it "above his pay grade"..._ Whatever, at least the damn house was safe. He parked right outside the house and looked over at the small sign Mrs. Drubman had placed. Was it Mrs. or Ms? Nathan didn't know and didn't exactly care. He lightly shook Faith's shoulder to wake her up. She groaned and swatted his hand away followed by incoherently mumbling.

"Hey, Faith we're here wake up." He shook her again, this time with a bit more force. Her eyes snapped open and looked at him. If the glare she was giving him was anything to go by, she wasn't pleased.

"Sorry for waking you but we're here." Nathan apologized. He stepped out to see if there was anyone nearby. He'd have to shoot the lock off the door or something because last time he tried it it wouldn't budge. He heard a door close and saw Faith walking over to him.

He tried the lock just on case but it didn't work. He could try busting the door open but he wasn't exactly sure if it would work.

_Well fuck it, might as well give it a shot..._

And he did, but it didn't open. It almost did so that gave him the motivation to try it once more. With a final well placed kick the door swung open. Huh, well that saved some ammo.

Walking inside he saw nothing out of the ordinary, just a normal home. It looked nice all things considered. There was a kitchen near the entrance and a living room to the right of that. Going further in he saw a bathroom and one room. He made his way over to Faith who had taken a seat in the living room couch

"Looks like we've found our little sanctuary. It's not much but it works kinda" Nathan suddenly heard a car approaching and quickly ran over to lock the door. Peeking through the peephole he saw a red car with a man firing his rifle like wild speeding through with an Eden's Gate patrol hot on it's tail. It pained him think about it but that just wasn't his problem anymore. He made a commitment to keep Faith safe and going around chasing cultist vigilante style would destroy said commitment. Was he completely done helping Hope County? No, but for the time being he'd have to take five.

"Who was it?" Faith asked him.

"It was a group of cultist chasing a man down the road. I'm a bit surprised to sew any form of Cultists in Holland actually." He figured taking care of John would've made them fuck off, and it had just not for very long it seemed.

"Well, I'm going to go shower. I've been sweating most of the day and feel gross." She disappeared into the bathroom leaving Nathan to walk back outside and retrieve his rifle.

On his way over to the truck he couldn't stop looking all around, hoping no one would see him. He grabbed the AK-M and went back inside. He took off his jacket and unstrapped the Kevlar vest. _God, that was liberating..._ Even though he was still pretty agile even with the vest, it did feel pretty heavy sometimes. His jacket had lasted him a surprisingly long amount of time. _Have to give it to the folks at 5.11, for a jacket that was expensive as shit it's pretty durable. _Nathan loaded his pistol with a new magazine. He only had two more left, and with how things were going he knew that wouldn't last him. He'd have to resort to using his rifle from now on.

A few minutes later Faith stepped out of the bathroom, wearing that infamous white dress. To say he thought she looked beautiful in it would be an understatement.

"What's wrong?" _Shit_, He hadn't noticed he'd been staring.

"Nothing it's just I always see you with that dress on. Except the days we were at the bunker." Faith frowned slightly.

"Is something wrong with it?" She sounded offended and almost hurt.

"No! It looks very nice it's just that I've rarely ever seen you with anything else on." Nathan didn't mean to offend her. She seemed contempt with the answer.

"This dress is very special to me Nathan. It was given to me by Joseph and even though I no longer wish to return to the project, this dress was one of the many acts of kindness from him. I can't see myself throwing it away."

"I understand, I was just wondering. Anyways you hungry?" He offered to cook her food but she declined.

"I'm fine, I think I'm just going to go back to sleep, it's been a long day. You mind if I take the bed?"

Nathan just said "Sure" and watched as she left to the room.

The TV was still working and he saw that whoever lived here still had a DVD but the movie selection was terrible in his opinion. Opting to instead turn on the radio, Nate plopped on to the couch. Immediately he felt the soreness of his muscles and his eyelids felt heavy. Faith was right, it had been a long day.

That coupled with the soft lullaby of Nat King Cole's voice caused him to fall asleep almost instantly. He began to dream of his old life, Nathan only wished the dream would last forever.

**Author's Note: The only reason this one is up this early is because it was being worked on simultaneously with the previous chapter. Expect more of Jess in the next one**


	7. Shifting Sides

A simple question had been on Jess's mind ever since she saw Nathan bring Faith with him to the Hope County Jail. And that was why? Why did he keep her alive?

Jess remembered the excitement she felt that day. She had two cold beers waiting for them and was ready to relax with her friend, god knew they rarely got the chance. When he arrived from what was supposed to be Faith's well deserved demise, instead of his usual awkward, friendly smile she was met with a _"Jess, can you help me carry her?"_

She should've said no, _she should've fucking said no... _Once they got her from the infirmary to her new room, Nathan retreated to hiswith Jess hot on his heels. Ready to question him about his little decision.

She couldn't believe the nerve, no scratch that, the _balls_ on Nathan to keep Faith alive and bring her here no less. Jess stayed at least an hour up in his room that day to confront him about why he was being such a dumbass. He told her everything that happened during the fight. About how she was just 17 when Joseph took her in, how her parents treated her worse than a dog but Jess's mind could only register one thing:

Nathan had _really _fallen for that pathetic life story.

_So fucking what_ _if her parents treated her like dirt?_ Stupid bitch probably deserved it for being such a liar. Jess's life wasn't perfect either but you didn't see her moaning about it to gain sympathy. It was because of Faith's little 'family' that she lost everything close to her. First it was her family then Nathan. _Could__ they not suffice with taking her family, they had to take her best friend too?_

In a matter of a few weeks Faith had managed to sever apart the connection Jess had with Nathan, and Jess had a feeling she knew it. Jess had to watch as Nathan became friendlier with Faith day after day. The bitch kept getting bolder with how she acted around him. Everytime Jess brought it up he would keep reminding her of Faith's past, like a call for sympathy. There was no changing his mind, he was set on keeping her alive and safe. Jess couldn't believe how stupid Nathan was to believe that would be the end of it. _What fantasy world was he living in?_

Then it all came to an end that fateful day

It had been Tracey's and a couple of pissed off Cougars idea originally to barge into Faith's cell with the intent to kill. Of course Nathan didn't allow it so he was given an ultimatum: It was either Faith or the both of them, with everyone expecting him to give her up and keep his position as "leader". Of course his goody two shoes moral code chose neither. Deputy Good Guy just had to save Faith didn't he?

She still remembered the look in Nathan's eyes as he confronted the mob in front of him. The hurt in his eyes as he stared directly at her, one hand holding the keyring and the other tightly holding his gun. Jess had never ever felt remorse in the time she had been fighting against the cult but seeing Nathan looking defeated behind the brave facade he had on, it made her feel bad but she knew it was for the best. They needed to get Faith out of the way before she influenced him further.

The Cougars had given him an hour to think of an answer but by then Jess already knew, anyone who didn't had to be an idiot. Nathan had grabbed one of their own, placed a gun on his head and used him as a shield to keep the others at bay. All the while Faith was cowering behind him like the coward she was. They made it out of the jail and sprinted the fuck out into the woods, not before he knocked out the man. Why no one bothered to take a shot at Faith was beyond her, maybe they were all in shock at seeing their hero suddenly turn on them. The majority still tolerated him at least, but seeing him knock the crap out of that guy really changed their minds quick.

Any remorse she felt was quickly thrown out the window and replaced by anger. Not entirely directed at Nathan, but at the little whore he called a "friend". Faith Seed, the "sister" of that sick fuck Jacob. She manipulated Nathan and used him to escape the Jail, she just knew it. That had to be it. There just was no way Nathan would personally screw his own life over for the sake of hers. He was a nice dude but he couldn't be that stupid could he?

Jess had made it very clear to Faith when she got there to either cut the shit or she'd die. Apparently that well placed punch to her cheek as a threat to stay in line didn't work.

She played the innocent, sweet Faith act very well Jess had to give it to her. They didn't call her a manipulator for nothing. Why else would she laugh at Nathan's shitty jokes, no one else ever did. All the subtle signs Jess caught on. Lightly holding his hands as they talked, laughing like a little school girl when they played one of the board games and stuff like that. All played out to maker her seem like she truly was this innocent girl that wouldn't harm a fly. She soon had Nathan wrapped around her finger and he didn't even know it.

All this wasn't fair for Jess either. After all they went through Nathan discarded her and the Resistance. All the secrets they shared between each other, stuff no one knew about her and him. Did it all mean nothing to him? Nathan knew how hard it was for her to make friends (Mostly because she didn't like people) and when she agreed to be his, she had expected him to be loyal just like she had. _But you couldn't do that could you Nate? _She laughed bitterly. Nathan didn't like being called Nate, he only tolerated it because Hurk was to stupid to get mad at and because Jess was his best friend. You could call him Nathan, Rook or Deputy but not Nate. Now everyone called him traitor.

Jess tried, god knows she tried, to make him see the truth. Faith was not his friend and she was only using him for her own gain but his thick skull was having none of it. In the end, Faith won. She took Nathan with her and were probably out in the middle of the woods fucking like rabbits. With how much of a manipulative cunt she was, Jess knew there had to be another reason as to why Faith would keep Nathan around and not just as her boy toy. Would she try to rebuild her part of the cult? Nah, it would take much more than just one man to recreate all she lost.

Faith would more than likely bring Nathan to the Father and parade him, probably smug as shit that in the end she did it without resorting to violence. All just to make up for doing a shit job at stopping him when Nathan was raising all sorts of hell in the Henbane. They could then just trigger the classical conditioning and let him run loose. Probably wipe out something like Falls End easily before someone brought him down, if they even could. Jess had seen first hand the effects of the conditioning, _it was fucking terrifying._.

Not to mention the fact that Hope County was a massive peice of land, they could be hiding anywhere.

Jess wasn't one to just quit though. _No sir_. Jess Black was the biggest badass in Hope County. Her grandmother didn't raise a fucking bitch. _Fuck that. _

She knew the area like the back of her hand. She was going to find them, slit Faith's throat, and bring Nathan back to the right path. And that was a fucking promise to herself and to him.

Her radio started going off. She groaned, not really in the mood to talk with anyone.

"Jess here, what's up?" She kept her cool, not wanting to go off on whoever it was. Unless it was Hurk asking if she wanted to join him for a drink. _Fuck no..._ For a guy very clearly terrified of her, he sure was insistent

"Jess, it's me Jerome. Where are you?" He sounded like he was in a hurry.

"I'm in the Whitetails why? Something up?" Jess figured it must be important.

"They spotted our friend entering the valley. I need you back here as soon as possible. I would send search parties but they'd probably end up fighting him and the last thing we want is to further anger the people here." Jess had to agree on that. Nathan would have to respond if some of the crazy hicks decided to take justice to their own hands, which they were technically already doing.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a few hours, but uh... How am I supposed to cover all of Holland Valley's ground? It'd take me days to do so and by then Nathan would probably already be gone." Jess wasn't stupid, she knew if Nathan was _truly_ of sane mind when he left with Faith, then he would be trying to escape the county. It was the only way he'd ever keep Faith safe. They weren't leaving though, not if she had anything to say about it.

"Nick's gonna do a few trips around the valley, see if he catches glimpse of them. I've asked him to notify you on case he does. Just... Don't engage in any way with _her _Jess. We don't want to anger Nathan and have him turn on us permanently." Jerome pleaded.

Jess nearly scoffed. She was counting on angering Nathan, she was itching to kick his ass, but the Pastor didn't need to know that.

"Yeah, sure I get it. I won't lay a finger on _her..._" She swore. Maybe not a finger but definitely a fucking arrow or two. Jerome didn't sound too convinced.

"Jess we're trying to help Nathan. Antagonizing Faith will only drive him further away. We need to be better than the people at Eden's Gate are." _Better than they are? _They weren't kidnapping and fucking murdering innocents, that already made them a million times better than them! Regardless, Jess knew to keep her mouth shut. The Pastor was one of the only people to be very vocal with his opinion on what happened at the jail. Very few listened of course, but it was the thought that counted. She admired that despite the toxic fucking hostility the Resistance had towards Nathan, Jerome was still willing to put himself at risk.

"Yeah, fine. I don't care about her right now, I need to get to Nathan." Jess had her priorities set in stone. Find Nathan. Kill Faith. They were simple really, and nothing was going to change them...

"Alright, contact me once you get here." And with that he closed off the channel. Jess walked over to the camp she had made and gathered her bow. Some peggies were getting pretty ballsy in the Valley so she'd need to stop back at the mill to resupply on arrows.

"Well Nate, looks like you and I are in much need of a reunion don't you think?"

Jess hopped on the ATV and started it up. Despite what it seemed like, she was only angry at Nathan, not hell-bent on killing him like the "Resistance". _So much for standing up for one of your own huh Tracey? Oh, and who could forget Tammy! All that cow ever did was bitch and moan to Eli._

Was she being a hypocrite? Maybe, but Jess heavily disliked both women. Tracey because of her clear resentment towards Jess and Nathan. Only reason she listened to her that day was because they both wanted Faith dead more than anything. Tammy she hated because of her inability to do anything for herself. _Calls herself a part of the militia, can't be fucking bothered to go fight in the front lines..._

But there was no one at the moment that she loathed more than Faith. Jess abso-_fucking_-lutely despised her. She promised _o__nce__ she got her hands on her... _

Well, she would let her imagination do all the work for now...

.

Nathan woke up very early in the morning, it seemed that not even in sleep could he escape his troubles. His dreams had quickly shifted from relieving fond memories of friends and family to the recent events that led up to him being on the run. He decided to go outside and get some fresh air, not wanting to go on a guilt trip again. _I've had enough of feeling sorry for myself_...

He walked down the hallway to the back door, he wasn't gonna hang around the dirt road in front. _And risk being spotted by any patrols driving by? No thanks..._

Quickly glancing at the room Faith was in he saw her fast asleep. _At least one of us gets to sleep peacefully._ Nathan continued down to the door, unlocked it and stepped outside.

It wasn't exactly dark but the sun had not yet risen. Nathan could still see though and glancing at his wristwatch he saw it was five in the morning. He sat down in a chair next to him. There was a slight breeze that felt refreshing but it would soon be replaced by the ever present summer heat. Of course not that it mattered, it wasn't like he was going to be outside the rest of the day. He was done with the walking for a while.

Hopefully there was something to do that didn't involve watching the horrendous catalog of movies or the ever present TV static. _Radio can only do so much before Wheaty decides to play garbage_.

It was situations like these that really made him miss his phone. He lost it in the helicopter crash and even though there wasn't any service, he still had a game or two there to entertain him. _Whatever, would've still lost it here anyways. Along with everything else I've lost..._

He tried to clear his mind of all the negative things that were going on in life. _And man, were there many..._

Instead focussing on the positive memories like that time he took his mother to that Four Seasons concert two years ago for her birthday. She had been so happy, singing along and swooning over Frankie Valli's falsetto. All the times he would hang around with Nick at the Spread Eagle and just cut class with a couple of beers, arguing over which who was the best at the old arcade machine. Or when he would just aimlessly travel with Boomer across Hope County, _damn I miss that dog... _Last time he had seen him was when he left him at the Jailhouse. People there seemed to like him though, so he was sure he was fine. Probably enjoying all the belly rubs the Cougars gave him.

Those memories were a part of his past that was nice to think about but he didn't want to dwell on them too much, because then he'd be back to feeling bad about himself. Nathan made his decisions and he had to live with the consequences.

He stayed outside for another hour before heading back inside. It felt nice not to be in any immediate danger. Being with Faith was a nice change of pace to the frantic lifestyle he had to adapt to in Hope County. He could live without all the death, rifle discharges every ten seconds, the ear splitting grenade explosions and the almost never ending screaming he heard when in a firefight. How some Resistance members could be beyond excited to fight constantly was beyond him. Once they hit the Whitetails, he had a feeling he'd be hearing all that all over again, this time directed mostly at him. Nathan was sure he'd go deaf so he might as well enjoy the peace and quiet while he could.

To his surprise he saw Faith seated in the couch. She looked up at him with what looked like maybe relief? She patted the space next to her and he complied.

"Where were you?" Faith asked.

"I was outside getting some air. Would've stayed longer were it not for the incoming heat. I'm surprised you're up this early with how tired you were yesterday." Nathan had expected to wake up at least till mid day. Faith shook her head and sighed.

"I had a nightmare and couldn't sleep." _So maybe the both of us can't sleep in peace_. Nathan knew nightmares would be a regular occurrence for the both of them.

"Want to talk about it? Might help." He offered. Nathan really wasn't good at comforting but he could listen. Faith shook her head again, this time a bit faster. "It's fine, just a nightmare. Not much to it."

Nathan caught on to her abruptness but he'd have to take her word. If she didn't want to talk about it who was he to try and force her?

"So what are we going to do now that we're here?" Faith wondered. It was bound to be boring but she'd honestly take boring over walking for hours.

"Uh.. I'm not sure honestly. The whole being on the run thing doesn't really offer much in the area of entertainment, unless of course getting chased is your idea of fun. Whoever lived here must've been a really lame individual" Nathan responded. Judging by the bunker outside, it was probably another prepper. At least there was food, plumbing obviously worked and the electricity as well. _So we have all the basics covered, that's good._

"We could always talk of course, if you'd like that." Nathan felt this was the best he could offer. Faith nodded and asked. "What should we talk about?"

"Anything I guess. Like umm... What do you do for fun?" He felt stupid asking that question, but it was all he could think of. Faith looked pensive as she thought of an answer.

"I love to dance so there's that. I also used to write poetry." _Dancing huh? _Nathan decided he'd ask her about that.

"So did you learn to dance on your own or what?" Nathan was curious, he had seen her dance many times before whe she used to scare the shit out of him as a Bliss apparition. He would hate when she would do that when he travelled in the middle of the night. He grew used to it the more he spent time in the Henbane River though.

"Kind of, you see I used to take dance class in highschool but I've had a love for dancing since I was even younger." Were she talking with anyone else, Faith would've felt uncomfortable bringing up her past but she trusted Nathan. "It helps me relax and clear my mind."

So maybe there was something "real" about the Bliss, her love for dancing.

"So what about you, what do you like to do?" Jess's question caught Nathan a bit off guard, if only because he didn't exactly have an answer. _What do I like to do? _He could say hunting, though he ever only did that once when he was with Jess learning the basics of a compound bow, and even then all he managed to kill was an already injured deer. He didn't really do anything with any free time he had, just sleep and get ready for his next mission.

"I don't actually have anything particular that I like to do." Nathan felt embarrassed, but he couldn't lie. _Has my life really been this boring? _

In highschool he was part of the football team but that was just to find something to get along with his father, not something _he_ really liked. He saw Faith tilt her head a little, looking at him funny.

"I find that a bit hard to believe. There has to be something you like to do. It could be anything!" _But what? _He liked to listen to music? _Fuck it, it's better than nothing I guess..._

"I like to listen to music..." Nathan didn't mean to say it so quietly. Thankfully Faith didn't notice it.

"Oh really, well what kind?" Well, Nathan definitely didn't have a preference there, but he liked the oldies playing on the radio so he'd go with that.

"Well, I like Sammy Davis and stuff like that, but I'll listen to anything of it's good." And that was true. Nathan loved to play that type of music while driving much to most of his friends dismay. Jess said she didn't listen to music, Hurk said he preferred 90's rock and if it wasn't disco, then Sharky didn't like it, Grace and Nick, well they enjoyed it so that was cool.

"So is that all you like to do? Nathan that's not very enticing is it?" Faith wondered if maybe they could do something together. Maybe they could dance, though she'd have to teach him. Nathan frowned slightly and ran his hand down the back of his neck.

"Hey, so maybe listening to music isn't as enjoyable to me as dancing is to you but it's what I like to do." Nathan defended. It wasn't his fault there wasn't much to do in Hope County outside of trying not to die. Faith laughed, she didn't expect him to get so defensive.

"I'm not saying it's bad, I'm just saying that there might be other things you could be into that you just don't know. Maybe you and I could find something we can do together that we both enjoy." That got his interest. He'd love something like that, to keep away the ever present boredom but what?

"Yeah, but what? We have very different tastes don't we?" Nathan appreciated the offer, but they were vey different people with different preferences. Faith didn't seem deterred though

"Well, you like to listen to music and I like to dance. We could do both at the same time." Dancing? Nathan wasn't so sure, he didn't exactly know how to dance. "It'll just be simple swaying Nathan, nothing difficult at all."

Faith's reassurance helped a bit. _Yeah, maybe we can do that, still bound to make myself look like an idiot somehow..._

_"_Alright, sounds... It sounds fun. Thing is there's no space to do anything here and its uncomfortably hot outside." Nathan responded.

Faith smiled and said. " We can do it later at night if you want to. When it's no longer so hot." Nathan smiled back, she had an answer for everything it seemed. He wasn't gonna lie, he was curious to see if she _could _actually dance. Bliss and words weren't quite enough to convince him.

"Sure, I'd like that..." Who knows, maybe this could help him relieve some stress, for the both of them. As long as it was fun for her Nathan didn't mind.

**Author's Note: So apparently the last part was cut off, at least for me. Had to recheck. **


	8. Momentary Peace

**AN: So this is a small chapter that will focus on the whole relationship Nathan and Faith have, and the intimacy. Not to worry though, cause Jess and the Resistance will get the next one all to themselves**. **That one's going to be a lot bigger. Also****, there was a small part of the previous chapter's ending that was missing, had to re-upload.**

.

Ever since their escape from the Jailhouse, Faith began to notice a looming depression in Nathan's eyes. She knew everything that had happened was eating Nathan in the inside. His desperate attempts to hide it couldn't trick her. He tried his best to keep a laid-back personality for her sake, but those smiles he gave her never quite met his eyes. She felt she had to put an end to that. With how much he had done to keep her happy, Faith knew it was her duty to do the same for him. They were all they had after all.

Just how was she going to do it? It wasn't anything glamorous she'd admit that, but dancing was a great stress reliever for her and that's exactly what Nathan needed. It was evident that stress was weighing him down. A little peace of mind wouldn't do him any wrong. After all, he'd been through he was more than deserving of happiness and even if the one she couldn't offer all he really deserved, Faith would try her best for him.

After he had agreed to dance with her earlier, he spent most of the afternoon sleeping, only waking up to cook something to eat. After they ate they talked for a while before Nathan went back to the couch and sat down. Faith stayed in the kitchen finishing up her meal. The radio was playing and inevitably, Nathan found himself singing along.

Nathan knew that music was the thing that kept him calm, he learned to forget all his problems and just enjoy Micky Dolenz's voice as he sang about ironic perfect suburbia in a perfect world, a world Nathan wouldn't mind living in. Faith studied him for a while, seeing his whole demeanor change as soon as the music started. His eyes were closed and he had a genuine smile as he sang along. He had a nice singing voice, it sounded soft and similar to the artist's voice, though Nathan's was a bit deeper. Faith wouldn't mind listening to it a bit more. Sadly the song ended and with it so did his singing. Faith noticed how in the end his voice became rougher than normal.

Nathan opened his eyes and looked at her, he felt pretty self-conscious but knew Faith wouldn't mock him. He smiled at her and laughed.

"Didn't notice I had an audience..." He joked. Faith smiled, he sounded so sincere.

"You seemed like you were enjoying yourself. I didn't want to bother you."

Nathan shook his head. "Nah, it's fine. I just really like that song." He could see through the living room windows that the sun was setting and it would be dark soon.

This whole situation felt off for him. There had to be a catch to such comfort, Nathan just knew it. Even when they were at the bunker they were with the ever-present fear that they would be found, but out here... they were_ safe?_ God forgive him for doubting but life wasn't exactly his friend and it had made it very clear since he set foot in Hope County. He decided not to question it. _Just enjoy it as much as you can Nathan, who knows when it'll be gone..._

It's just that life on the run had made him very paranoid, and rightfully so. He couldn't trust anyone aside from Faith, and anyone he could he wouldn't risk endangering by attempting to contact.

Would the Resistance ever want to hear his side? Well, if him being public enemy number one was anything to go by, then no. There might be a few people who'd help but at what cost? their lives? No, Nathan wouldn't do that to them

That got him thinking. In a completely hypothetical situation, if he were to turn Faith into them, that still wouldn't clear the bad blood between him and the residents of the county. He had heavily injured one of their own, killed five (technically) unprovoked and who knows how many firefights he'd get into once at the Whitetail Mountains. Not only that, but they probably saw him as far off as they saw Faith was when she was with the cult, he wouldn't be worth trying to save. They'd immediately kill him, and even if they didn't, he'd still probably face jail time, murdering unprovoked Resistance members wasn't self-defense.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized he was _done_. He had no personal motives anymore, as long as Faith was safe that was it for him. She deserved much better, but Nathan honestly saw that this would be as "better" as she would get until they left the county. Then what? She had brought up an excellent question at the bunker: What were they going to do once outside Hope County? They couldn't get any jobs and what if the hunt for them didn't stop just at the county? People here might take their escape as them trying to rebuild Eden's Gate. _Like we ever possibly could! _

The question was would he be comfortable with rejoining the Resistance after everything? There had already been a massive distrust towards him immediately after he rescued Faith. It had been orchestrated perfectly in his opinion. They wouldn't let him in on any intel regarding the cult making him feel left out. That meant he had more time to tend to Faith, meaning they grew more comfortable around each other. Their distrust became smaller while the Resistance's grew. That's when they'd hit him with the accusations that he wasn't helping at all, which were completely false. The answer ultimately would be probably not. He wasn't fond of threats or getting shot at, no thank you. So he didn't care about fighting with them (he'd still fight for the residents) just as long as they would call off the hunt.

Sure, right now they were probably more occupied with getting Joseph out of whatever hideout he was at but as soon as they did all attention would be on him and Faith. The more he questioned himself the more he felt like maybe he couldn't get Faith out safely, that maybe they were just destined to die in Hope County. He needed to stop thinking like that, it wouldn't do him any good. It seemed like complaining about how his life sucked was his forte. _This is it for you anyways__ Nathan, whatever you've been through can't interfere with what you promised Faith: to keep her safe. _He was no longer doing this for himself, she was his priority now.

His thoughts were interrupted by Faith sitting down next to him. He envied her calmness. Even after all that happened to her, she still managed to smile and forget all about her problems. He only wished he could do that.

"Are you alright, you seem troubled?" The worry in her voice made Nathan feel wrong. It was nice that she cared, but he'd rather not bother her with his whole woe is me situation.

"Everything's fine, Faith. I appreciate your worry but I'm alright." He said it a bit more forcefully than he had planned, and saw her lightly flinch at his tone. _How long are you going to keep all of this bottled up inside you Nathan? it isn't healthy. _Faith wondered. She only nodded and sighed in response.

"Okay, keep telling yourself that..." She abruptly stood up and left, and immediately Nathan felt remorse. He wasn't trying to push her away, he just didn't want to bother her with all his problems but still, Nathan knew he had to apologize for acting like that. She was offering help and here he was acting like an ungrateful ass.

"Real smooth huh Nate..." He muttered. He internally cringed at his nickname. He didn't like it one bit. He was cool with Hurk using it because he was you know? _Hurk_. Not too bright but a good friend and Jess only because he used to tease her by calling her by her full name Jessica, which she didn't appreciate.

Nathan felt like a shower might do him good, to keep his thoughts at bay. He gathered his clothes and went into the bathroom.

.

Faith felt hurt. She was offering to help yet Nathan stubbornly wouldn't accept. It was brave of him to try and carry his burdens but Faith knew she could help him. He wasn't alone anymore and he had her. She was going to make him realize that. She heard him step into the bathroom probably to shower so she left outside to go relax.

It was already dark out with the moonlight being the only thing to light up this desolate part of the Valley. Faith felt a cool breeze nip at her face and bare legs. She noticed how the grass was high enough to nearly reach her hands, it was clear the house had been vacant for a long time. She sat in the grass, which was surprisingly not uncomfortable. The lack of any big, bright lights in the entire region meant the stars were a lot more visible. Faith gazed at the stars for minutes till she heard the back door open. She heard the surprisingly light footsteps of his boots approach her and saw him take a seat next to her. They sat in a comfortable silence until Nathan broke it.

"I... I'm sorry for how I acted back there. I understand you were trying to help, and I had no reason to react like that." Nathan wasn't the best at apologizing, mainly because he rarely had anything to apologize about in Hope County. It wasn't that he did nothing wrong (he did) but he would always try his best to correct it. He felt Faith take his hand with hers and shift her body to face him.

"It's fine Nathan, I forgive you. I understand you're under a lot of stress from everything that's been happening lately. Don't you think it's time you stop and have some time to yourself, you know? Just enjoy something..." Faith asked him. Nathan agreed that sure, maybe it was time he found something to keep his mind off everything...

"I suppose you have something in mind, don't you?" He responded it didn't take a genius to know what she was planning

Faith giggled and stood up and so he did the same. She wrapped her hands lightly around his neck, Nathan took that as a hint and rested his hand on her waist. He looked at her and noticed she was blushing. "Just relax..." She told him.

They began to sway gently and Faith noticed that Nathan was doing a good job. "Don't worry about everything else..." Their rhythmic swaying was slow and melodic, almost as if they were dancing to some unheard song. Her hands glided up from his neck to his face and Nathan closed his eyes.

Finally, he felt at peace. For once he could just forget everything, the cult, the Resistance, _everything..._ Nathan could stay like this forever if given the chance. Everything about this moment just felt right to him. Their spinning and swaying slowed slightly and Nathan opened his eyes to meet hers. Instinctively they rested their heads on each other's and continued to dance

Maybe he wasn't done with happiness. Maybe Nathan still had a chance at it, with Faith. Who was he to deny it? A small part of him told him that it was a bad idea, that he was getting far too attached but he ignored it. Maybe he was being a bit selfish but Nathan felt he deserved his slice of happiness, at least a little bit.

As they kept dancing, Nathan made his final decision. Faith wished to no longer be alone? Nathan would grant her that because he himself accepted and embraced the fact that his happiness now relied solely on her. He stared into her blue eyes and came to the comforting realization:

He finally found his peace, if only for a little while.

"_Thank you..."_


	9. Perspective

As Jess made her way into the Falls End Church, she couldn't help but notice the lack of people walking out. Most of the time it was full of wayward survivors from any nearby outposts. It was usually just people whose homes had been destroyed by the cult and had nowhere to go to.

Now it was empty save for Jerome. He was reciting verses of the Bible or something like that, Jess had no clue. Deciding it felt kind of awkward to just stand there she cleared her throat to make her presence known. "Uh... ya' called?"

Jerome turned to her and smiled. He signaled her over to him. "C'mon over here, don't want to be victim to any prying ears."

Jess complied, if only because she didn't want to get in a fight with a stranger that didn't know how to mind his own business, not in a chruch at least...

"Where are all the people?"

"They've been relocated to better living areas, mostly in vacant homes in trailer parks." Jerome responded.

"So what's this about Nathan being in the Valley? Figured he would've gone to the Whitetails from the Henbane River." _He has to be planning something, Nathan isn't stupid._ Jess figured he brought the whore here for some RR or something.

"Some of our people that still believe in the Deputy said they saw him driving over here a couple of days ago. They didn't get to see where he took off though sadly..." Pastor Jerome had hoped he would've made his way over here to Falls End. _I could've helped you a lot earlier Deputy..._

"Why didn't they follow him? That would have made things a million times easier for us!" Jess couldn't believe the stupidity of some people. Jerome shook his head as he responded.

"He's probably very paranoid, would've caught on to someone following him. That could have ended badly for him and for us." They were both aware how Nathan got when he was unnerved or on edge. He got way to paranoid and prone to impulse. _Pretty big change from calm, and collected Deputy to crazy crackhead huh, Nate? _

Jess sat in one of the pews and sighed. This was going to be a long search unless some miracle happened. "So what's the plan? You said Nick will be flying to see if he can catch them and I'll be on ground, but what if that's not enough?" Sure, Jess was well inversed with the locales of Hope County but that didn't mean it would make it any easier...

"Start off in the obvious places first. Go from any prepper bunkers to the many abandoned homesteads across the Valley. He's got to be there and if not, then he might be taking things riskier and living off the woods."

Jess laughed, _Nathan? Living in the woods? _He hated the outdoors, said it didn't do any favors to his "rosy complexion". Besides that Nathan couldn't skin a rabbit to save his life, he just _couldn't_ make it out there. Sure, she hardened him a bit to the point where he could last long without rest or sustenance though she had a feeling Jacob had more to do with the latter

"Nah, Nathan ain't some human version of a Swiss Army Knife, he hates the woods. He's most likely in those places you mentioned."

Jerome chuckled softly. "I wouldn't underestimate our friend, he's got a knack for survival. Seems like nothing can quite bring him down."

_Nothing except the being_ _labeled a traitor..._ Jess was about to say but held herself.

"Jess, what do you plan on doing once you get to Nathan?" Jerome asked. He sounded serious and Jess knew exactly what he ment.

"She'll be out of the picture if that's what you're asking... What's going to happen between me and her is personal." Jess's voice got dangerously low. She refrained from mentioning that bitch by name.

"Jess answer me this: If Nathan is as close as you all say with her, do you think he'll allow her to come to any harm? Don't you think he'd react if he saw her in danger." Jess knew he'd react, the jailhouse was enough proof he would.

"He only became close with her because she seduced him. He was gullible enough to believe her story somehow" Jess wasn't going to lie to herself, she didn't know how she'd react to see Nathan like one of those Angels. So void of a soul with no apparent perception of anything. That only fueled her anxiousness to get out there and find them.

"I don't think that's what's happened. If anything, our friend's moral code is what prevented the him from letting the mob from killing her that day. That same moral code is probably pushing him to get her somewhere safe." Jerome rebutted. He honestly wanted to spare Faith if possible, but the only problem was Jess's insistance to kill her

"Jess, I know that you see the cult and everyone in it as these unforgivable monsters but there is still good people. They've likely given their old lives out of desperation and fear. Not everyone is as strong as you or the Deputy, Jess. Who knows, might've been the same case with Faith." Jerome was well aware what the young girl had been through, Nathan had confided in him a few months back, he would never want anyone to go through that.

"I'm not saying she's in anyway innocent, Lord knows the defector Nathan saved long ago had taken the names of some of our people, but if we can't learn to forgive, if we can't put aside the hatred for Eden's Gate, then we'd be no better than they are. Many of these people have such a black and white view on the situation, and that's where this whole issue stemmed from. They didn't care who Nathan was anymore, the second he rescued Faith was the second he signed his death warrant with them" He understood that these people were desperate to get their homes back, but right now Pastor Jerome needed to convince Jess not to kill Faith, for Nathan's sake.

"Tell me Jess, if a person is in any way, shape or form associated with the cult does that person deserve punishment?"

_Of course they do! Why the fuck wouldn't they?._ "Yes! Why wouldn't they? They'd have to know that being with the peggies would automatically put them on everyone's hit list!" She was referring to those who associated themselves with the peggies.

There was no humanity left in those who joined or helped Eden's Gate, Jess knew that damn well. Everytime a peggie would beg Nathan for mercy, she'd intervine his little moments of self reflection and end their lives for him. They didn't deserve to live. The both of them weren't innocent, Jess knew that, but at least they were striving to make Hope County safe. All Eden's Gate did was destroy families and their homes.

"And what about Nathan? He's technically associated with a cultist. Wouldn't he fall into that category for you?" Jerome asked.

"Doesn't matter if he does or not for me. He falls into that category for the _Resistance_..."

Jerome nodded and spoke up again.

"Regardless, back to my first question, we both know how sympathetic Nathan is. Is it really all that surprising that maybe he saved her out of the goodness of his heart?" Jerome asked, going back to Nathan's motives for keeping Faith safe.

Yes it was, because if Jess was brutally honest, Nathan wasn't always the friendly, and peggie forgiving man he had been known as. Nathan was no saint when it came to sparing cultits. When faced with surrendered enemies, that man wasn't usually one to just let them go, he'd shoot them in the legs which was much more brutal in her opinion. He'd just leave those fuckers to crawl around, _begging_ for death after he left. He would defend it, as saying that they were technically still alive just incapacitated, but there was always a tone of dissatisfaction in his voice.

She wasn't saying he was a hypocrite because Nathan never presented himself as one with a moral high ground but still... It was obvious that he had developed a bias against anything related to the project after all the shit it put him through.

Jess wasn't stupid, she could see the way Nathan eyed his rifle when a cultist would surrender. She knew Nathan's more resentful side, after all they did to him, was itching to blast their heads off. "_I'm just watching him carefully! Don't want him trying anything funny!__" _was his excuse. _Bullshit_, they both knew he wanted nothing more than to just kill any surrendering cultists.

One clear example of this was when they liberated the Elk Jaw Lodge months back...

.

_"Looks like we're clear, how you holding up Nate?". Jess smirked, hoping to get a rise out of Nathan. They had successfully taken back the lodge from the the peggie bastards. They were experimenting on producing more 'Judges' out of the wolves nearby here. It went mostly without a hitch, save for when a peggie mutt got to close for comfort and she had to knife it._

_"I told you to please stop calling me that and I'm doing fine, don't know about our friend over here..."_

_That got her attention, who the hell was he talking about?_

_She made her way inside the lodge to where Nathan was and saw him standing over a very visibly scared peggie. Nathan had his pistol trained on him with the peggie looking terrified out of his mind. Dude had snot running down his nose and everything._

_"Please dont kill me! I-I uh I don't want to die, please! I'm scared..." The man's begging was humorous to Jess, she had never, ever heard one of Jacob's men beg for forgiveness. She didn't even think it was possible! He looked young though, maybe early twenties so that had to be it._

_"Uh, uh please Mr. Deputy man, dont kill me The fuck do the other peggies use a pussy like you for? hazing in the locker rooms?" Jess mocked. Nathan didn't find it all that funny though... what a fucking stick in the mud..._

_"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just pull the trigger. Your people have never shown compassion, enlighten me as to why should I?" Nathan certainly wasn't playing games, she could see the way his finger twitched around the trigger. Jess felt she had to intervene before he got all too friendly and forgiving like classic Nathan._

_"Fuck that__, Nate we don't need nor want this jackass alive! Just blast him and let's go!" Was he seriously contemplating keeping one of Jacob's men alive? Was he being serious right now?_

_"Chill out Jess, just let him talk... Now come on, give me a reason man. My friend and I are getting impatient." Nathan dug the barrel of his gun deeper into the peggies head. The man was so scared he could barely formulate a cohesive sentence._

_"I uh I-I I know of where you can find supplies, yeah! Supplies that can last the Militia for months! I'll tell you if you please let me live!" Nathan couldn't believe the display of weakness Jacob's soldier was showing. For someone who had a "only the strong survive" mentality like him, this guy clearly wasnt the best cut..._

_"Tell me now and maybe I'll consider not killing you..." Nathan voice had so much aggression. Jess knew Eli would appreciate the supplies, they weren't doing so hot down in the bunker or in other outposts._

_Where was this peggie from? It was perfectly clear he wasn't one of Jacob's hardened followers. Nathan and Jess had been causing a shitstorm in the mountains so maybe recruiters were getting desperate?_

_The man quickly spilled the beans on where the supplies were, and that seemed to be the end of that._

_"C'mon Nathan, just put the bastard out of his misery." Jess hurried him. She wanted to get out of here, preferably with no peggies alive. Nathan looked like he was contemplating it before he spoke up again._

_"I'm going to let you go, if only because I do have sympathy and human decency. I would suggest you run and run as fast as you can, learn to live off the land or something. Consider yourself lucky cause you sure as hell won't find any sympathy from your boss. If I ever see you again, I won't be as nice..." He placed his gun back in his holster and pushed the man up. They watched him as he ran through the woods, stumbling through the bushes till he was out of sight. Nathan was about to leave the lodge but was stopped by Jess._

_"The fuck was that!? You seriously let him go, are you fucking insane? Pieces of shit like him don't deserve anything more than death and you let him waltz out like he did nothing wrong?" Jess was fucking fuming. How could Nathan be so irresponsible?_

_"Trust me, the last thing he wants to do right now is run to Jacob. He'd probably be crucified or something, he's alone now. He's as good as dead now..." And with that, Nathan walked out leaving Jess to silently flip him off._

It was moments like those that made them both realize how she wasn't nowhere near as merciful as he was. Had she been alone she would have snapped the kids neck...

She had a feeling Nathan knew he humiliated the man, made him look weaker than he had been when he was crying for his life. He was right, he had nowhere else to go without fear of Jacob's punishments, which were reportedly (according to Nathan) worse than death. To have killed him then and there would've been more merciful.

It was evident Nathan was desperate to let all that pent up stress and anger out, and since he didn't have any form of stress reliever, that Jess knew of at least, he kept it all hidden.

She didn't blame the dude for being so angry, he had been tattooed with dirty equipment, starved and tortured for days on end and had seen enough death to leave him traumatized. Why he still chose to be so sympathetic was beyond her honestly.

Her biggest question was why was his behavior suddenly so different when around Faith, another peggie herself? His whole demeanor actually had changed when he was at the Henbane. There was no longer that look of desperation and anger in his eyes like when he was fighting Jacob or John.

This change also applied to his reception of surrendered peggies. He no longer had that pissed off look in his face he gave captured peggies or any cultists in general, he was far more friendly and empathetic. Instead of hating Faith's guts he befriended her to the point he was willing (she was going to assume for the sake of not wanting to imagine a Blissed-out Nathan) to run away with her.

She dreaded to think that Faith might've somehow been that stress reliever Nathan was longing for. That maybe that's why he was so quick to befriend her and give in, so he could let go of some of his anger and resent. Is that why they spent such long time just talking? No, she refused to believe that...

Little did she know she wasn't far from the truth, at least _now._

"I'm gonna go begin my search, I'll contact ya' if I find them..." Jess needed some time to herself, she neeses to gather her thoughts. She didn't answer his question. Jerome nodded and walked over to back of the church.

"Godspeed Jess..."

.

Jerome watched as Jess walked out or the church. With a sigh he sat in one of the many vacant pews. He knew things were only going to get much worse with Nathan if Jess didn't learn to control her anger when talking about Faith. With how much she had hung around the Deputy she had hoped she had learned a thing or two from him. Not only her but the Resistance as well.

Nathan's perspective on everything deeply contrasted the black and white views the Resistance had when it came to Eden's Gate. Jerome could understand where they were coming from, they had been fighting for such a long time and they were desperate. Their views on the morality of everything soon became warped. They became blinded by their hatred towards the cult that soon sympathy was thrown out the window in exchange for purging Hope County from anything Eden's Gate related. The defector Nathan had saved was living comfortably in one of the trailer parks and had reconciled with some friends. Resistance ignored him because that was a miniature, insignificant catch compared to the bigger fish, that being one of the heads of the cult.

Something needed to change before it was all too late. The people needed to remove that blindfold of hatred and understand what they are doing to one of their own. Because of the relationship Nathan with Faith, Jerome knew Nathan wouldn't hesitate to defend her if the Resistance threatened her. The jailhouse proved it and the killings at McCallough's Garage proved it. Wether it be self defense or provocation, another firefight would only cause more problems, this time they could be irreparable.

_All your goodwill Deputy, down the drain..._

Jerome was making strides in convincing the people here though, so that was good. They weren't so much as hostile as they were uncomfortable with the Deputy's actions. There were still many, mainly an small organized group, who wanted Faith dead, but they didn't care about Nathan. He suspected they were Cougars or Militia soldiers but had no evidence, so they may as well be people from the Valley.

Nathan and Faith could seek help here, Jerome wouldn't ever turn either down. The people of Falls End still greatly appreciate what Nathan during his time in Holland Valley, and he was sure that applied to all of Hope County. Jerome would be mord than willing to listen to Nathan's side of the story, though the people wouldn't. What happened at McCallough's Garage only riled up the Cougars further and the Whitetails were at high alert. Attempting to leave Holland Valley would be deadly.

That gave them more time to try and find them before it was too late.

_Deputy we need to make this right, otherwise it's over for you. _

**AN: So, New Dawn more than likely won't happen in this, don't see a reason for it to. Then again, this is nowhere near done so... I'm like 95% sure I don't want it to transition to ND. I do have something planned for New Dawn, but that's far off. Next chapter's all about Hope County's (in?)famous outlaws: Nathan and Faith**** as well as the stronger bond that resulted from their night out dancing. ****That one is also going to be posted earlier only because (again) I worked on both simultaneously.**


	10. Release

It seemed to Nathan that everyday in Hope County was the same. Wake up, try not to die in whatever situation he found himself in, receive praise, rince repeat. The monotony of it helped desensitize him to all he saw. Day after day if it wasn't some peggie's body parts being flung everywhere it was him in a near death situation that caused him question himself. Despite all of that, he became proficient at killing, being desensitized had it's benefits it seemed.

He wasn't loosing his grip on his sanity, at least he hoped not, though there were times he would wake up in the middle of the night frantically grasping at his rifle to defend himself from imaginary attackers. His companions would restrain him when he'd wake up shouting obscenities at some imaginary peggie.

When confronted, he'd just chalk it up to just him being paranoid, but with good reason.

Up to this point, a sense of security did not exist for Nathan. Safety wasn't part of the job unfortunately, and with friends who had been doing this longer than he had he couldn't confine in them. He didn't want to seem like he couldn't handle things. Confine in them about what? _Oh nothing, just the fact that he didn't exactly sign up for all of this. _He suspected they knew of his disdain towards all he was doing, but never spoke up.

In moments of weakness, Nathan felt that he had done nothing to deserve what was happening. Not just being flung into an all-out war between a cult and the angry residents of the town, but _everything..._ He learned to ignore those feelings for the sake of the residents of Hope County. Whatever he had been through, the residents of the county had been through that and much worse and for a much longer time than he had. He had to be strong for them, had to keep the image of "invincibility deputy" intact.

_It's just_... In John's territory not only had he been tattooed with rusty fucking equipment that left an ugly scar spelling _'WRATH' _but then he had the ever unpleasant experience of seeing his friend have a piece of his flesh torn off. Jacob's territory was.. oh boy, that was _much fucking worse_...

Running didn't help you when you were being hunted Nathan learned thay quickly. All he would feel was the sharp stab of the arrow, his sight going red thanks to the poison and then he would wake up to his worst nightmare. Being starved to near death was something he wasn't going to miss, as well as the murdering of innocent Whitetail Militia members, though the latter would probably be unavoidable in the near future. Nathan didn't like it, but that's the way it'd have to be, unless they managed to completely avoid them, which would be impossible.

His trip to the Henbane River was much better thankfully, though the bar was already set extremely low so there was no way to go but up. Things were definitely beginning to look up once he got to the river. Instead of fearing being captured and getting the shit kicked out him, all he had to fear were the mild headaches he got after waking up from a pleasant Bliss trip. Faith Seed didn't immediately resort to violence like her brothers did thankfully. She was rather nice to him, and though she eventually became hostile, he never really felt as threatened or as in danger as in other regions. He knew this was all part of her manipulation act, play the innocent, friendly girl who had been through so much pain to lure him in out of sympathy. To convince him that because the Father had offered a better place to someone as broken as her, he'd do the same for him. It didn't work though, Nathan wasn't as naive as people thought.

After their inevitable confrontation, when he should have left her to die he didn't. He took her to the jailhouse to get medical attention and from there the rest is as they say history, and a rather depressing one in his opinion. Things could only get better right? He sure hoped so...

.

In the days following after their night out dancing, Faith saw Nathan's demeanor revert back to it's usual one of depression. Sure he wasn't as sad anymore but she could see he still had that look of hurt. Seemed like their dancing could only do so much for such a small amount of time.

It wasn't like she was perfectly happy either.

It felt terrible to know she had caused this, despite Nathan reassuring her several times she hadn't. There were several sleepless nights when she would contemplate turning herself in just to keep Nathan safe, but she couldn't leave him now. They were all they had and nothing guaranteed he'd be welcomed back into the Resistance with open arms.

Maybe it was her being inadvertently selfish. She didn't want to let him go but knew he deserved to live his life to the best he could.

He couldn't exactly do that while on the run...

_What about that Jess girl?_

Faith was aware that Nathan and her were very close, he had told her a few days ago. Faith never appeared as a Bliss hallucination when she was around, only when Nathan was alone or with his dog. He told her of all he had been through with her, he sounded like he really valued her. Faith wasn't going to lie to herself, she did feel a pang of jealousy at they way he talked about her.

What if Nathan was really meant to be with her, _but I just had to intervene didn't I?_ He told Faith that Jess was his best friend but that got her thinking. Had he not saved her that day, would have Nathan eventually gone further with Jess? Faith didn't want to think about it anymore.

She decided to distract herself with other things. She noticed that their food supplies were running short. The house had food but it was mostly things that needed to be cooked like eggs and stuff. Maybe the prepper bunker outside had more? Faith would have to ask Nathan later.

There was also a surprising lack of activity in the area. According to John before he died, Holland Valley had been full of Resistance members. He had managed to successfully take Falls End but even then, there were many hideouts where people could be hiding.

This had been Nathan's first stop on his mission to take down Eden's Gate, and if she was honest, she didn't think he'd make it. John was brutal with his methods of saving people, something she personally didn't approve but the Father seemed to understand. Violence was never really her style, it was easier to gain people's trust and loyalty than to have them be forced to obey. John and Jacob learned that the hard way and to some extent herself included. Nathan was like a one man army, nothing could bring him down it seemed.

When she first met him she was ready for the worst. She knew it was up to her to either convert him or get rid of him, not wanting to meet the same fate as her brothers. Faith was pleasantly surprised at his overall calm attitude, not once did he ever raise a weapon at her when she would appear to him. He would voice his discomfort at her appearing at sometimes late hours of the night, spooking him.

Of course, it didn't take him long to destroy everything she built. Faith should've hated him for what he did, and for a short time she did, but she came to forgive him. Had he truly been this monster he wouldn't have let her live. Their friendship quickly grew in such a short time. Nathan always had time for her and she always had time for him. Of course, Jess wasn't all too happy and she had something to say about it as well.

She came into her room one day and attacked her, threatening her that if she got up to any of her "old tricks" she'd be dead. Nathan found out pretty quickly, but Faith never told him so either Jess did or he found out on his own. It wasn't hard, she had a bruise in her left cheek that she didn't do a very good attempt at hiding.

Over the course of several days she noticed how Nathan came back looking very alarmed, always looking around. When asked he'd tell her that the Cougars weren't very happy with her living arrangements. He would try his best to reassure her that everything was fine though he wasn't very good at lying, didn't seem to believe it himself. He always had his weapons in their holsters, when once he used to drop them off at the gunsmith near the entrance. He'd stick around in her room till she fell asleep, and then he'd walk around the area seemingly keeping any wandering Cougars at bay, making it more and more evident that no, nothing was "_alright"..._ He talked about getting her out of there but couldn't due to the Cougars being very vigilant of what he did and other regions being somewhat untrusting of him. Faith understood the severity of the situation pretty quick, he was on thin ice with them. It wouldn't take long for it to shatter, bringing on a whole new list of problems.

To Faith, it was clear that he had shattered the image of that of justice the Resistance had associated with him.

He would bring her food she knew wasn't from the jailhouse, they ate rations and stuff like that. Apparently he had to bring her the food smuggled in from outside, Cougars weren't gonna bother trying to feed her. To them starving her would be a blessing! Her food had to come a little later because Nathan had to figure out ways to bring it in. Things kept escalating from there. There wasn't a day Nathan and the Resistance weren't at each other's throats regarding her. Petty arguments, cruel comments, that fistfight with the drunk member and of course, it all culminated till the Cougars and Nathan reached their breaking point. Soon, Nathan and Faith were on the run from the people Nathan once called allies. Faith knew there were still people who trusted him but those were more than likely in the minority, mostly everyone hated him.

One thing Faith herself missed, apart from everything, was Tracey...

They used to be best friends before Eden's Gate arrived. They had a bond that couldn't compare. Of course, Faith eventually left to join the Father's flock, begging Tracey to come with her. Tracey absolutely refused to even listen to her offer saying she was a traitor. It hurt at first but with the Father's guidance, Faith learned to cope with Tracey's absence over the course of several years, though she always hoped things had been different...

Now things _definitely_ were different, Tracey wanted her and Nathan dead. She hated her for who she became, and Faith couldn't blame her. It didn't stop it from hurting any less. _I'm sorry for everything I did to you Tracey_

Despite all of that, while she wasn't exactly the happiest she's been with life, Faith felt it was going to be alright. She only hoped the same could apply to Nathan...

.

Nathan was awaken by the sounds of someone singing. He rubbed his eyes and blinked a couple of times to get rid of the grogginess. Looking around he saw a bit of sunlight streaming through the window blinds. He could still hear the singing, more specifically, _her singing_. Sitting up from the couch he glanced at the clock. _What's she even doing up at seven thirty?_ They went to sleep awfully late, around three in the in the morning. Nathan could make out the words, despite her quiet voice

"_A rose must remain, with the sun and the rain or it's lovely promise won't come true... To each his own, to each his own, and my own is you..."_

Her soft voice carried through the open door of the room. Funny, he didn't think she liked any other type music aside from Eden's Gate church hymns. John's egotistical song was his personal favorite. Nathan relaxed in the couch for a few more minutes, listening to her sing.

He contemplated going over to her but decided not to, he didn't want to intrude. Thankfully he didn't have to as he heard her footsteps make their way over to the living room. Had she heard him shuffling around? Faith soon stepped into the living room, she gave Nathan a bright smile and took a seat next to him.

"Y'know, Al Martino isn't something bad to wake up to..." Nathan commented. And it wasn't, not with a voice like hers. Faith's eyebrows raised slightly, and her face turned red.

"Oh, you heard that? I had hoped you had barely woken up just now..." Nathan looked at her with a confused expression.

"Why do you look embarrassed? I've heard you sing many times before, and have even complimented you on it. Plus, you've also heard _me _sing before."

Nathan reassured her. Faith nodded and rested her head on his shoulder. Nathan didn't know how long it had been since he felt so at peace. Everything just felt right when Faith was around. Maybe it was time they talked...

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Faith asked. Nathan nodded.

"Nathan I know I've already asked you this, but how do you feel about what's been going on _now_?" Faith needed confirmation that he was truly alright, though she knew he more than likely wasn't. She wanted to be there for him.

This wasn't a topic of conversation Nathan had been expecting at seven in the morning, or ever honestly. It brought back way too many unpleasant memories that he had hoped to at least keep away for a while. Faith looked at him expectantly and Nathan averted his eyes for a moment and sighed. _How do I feel?..._

"I still feel hurt, betrayed and angry. I was immediately discarded for not agreeing that you were the worst thing to ever happen since Joseph. I'm not saying they didn't have a right to be angry, but they went completely overboard with things." He stopped. Nathan wondered day after day the same thing: _Why wouldn't they listen?_

"Are you done with the Resistance?" That was a good question. One Nathan had the answer for.

"They won't stop till you're dead. I may have been hesitant about all this at the beginning but not now. Faith, you're all I have now and I promised to keep you safe didn't I? So, as much as it pains me to admit it, I am done with the Resistance." Nathan answered honestly. He would still help any residents in need, just not under the pretence of fighting for the Resistance. No, he was fighting for Faith's safety and that was it.

Faith could sympathize with Nathan. He had been through a lot but was always willing to give.

"Nathan, you can take a break if you want to, the _I _can wait. The _world_ can wait..." Faith wrapped her arms around his neck. Nathan laughed softly.

"Isn't that what we're doing here, forgetting all our problems?" His question was met with a light slap on his shoulder.

"You know what I mean. You've done nothing but worry about me or the Resistance. It's fine Nathan, they don't seem to be actively looking for us here and I'm perfectly fine." Faith ran her fingers through his wavy hair, helping him calm his nerves.

Nathan nodded his head, maybe she was right. _It wouldn't hurt to be a little selfish right? _He could just spend his time here with Faith, enjoying the feeling of not running for their lives. _I've given so much of me already, it's only fair I take a break..._

"Yeah sure, I can do that." That night out dancing had really helped clear his mind. Maybe they could do that again or something similar. Nathan didn't know or care honestly, as longs as she enjoyed it and he could clear his troubled mind.

"Perfect, do you think you can actually stick to that?" Faith asked. Nathan figured he could, it should be easy for him.

"As long as I have you with me, I definitely can..."

Faith smiled and gently pulled his head towards her's and Nathan took that as a sign of initiative. Placing his lips against her's, he wrapped his arms around her waist. Their lips moved slowly in perfect sync. Nathan once again felt his troubles disappear and felt he finally found his happiness, this time it was permanent. He didn't need dancing, or the Resistance or anything as long as he had her.

**AN: ****I'm not sure when the next chapter's gonna be out honestly. I'm also not transitioning this to New Dawn, and quick question: What the fuck are wolverines in 5 made of? Little bullet sponges drop me to near half my health on infamous mode before I down one. Anyways, reviews and suggestions are noted and appreciated.**


	11. Broken Valley

It had been a while since Nathan had felt the way he had with Faith with him. He felt like a massive weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He honestly could not remember the last time he had been as happy as he was now. Nathan loved her and everything about her. They way she smiled, her laugh, how she always seemed to have time for him.

They went from trying to stop each other a couple of months ago to now falling in love. Nathan wasn't one to question it. As long as she was happy, he was as well. Their time spent in the home was nothing more than talking while laying together, kissing like they were lustful teenagers and cuddling in the couch. Faith had managed to convince him to watch some of the movies with her, something he really wasn't all for. In the end he relented and they ended up rather enjoying it, or at least she did Nathan had no idea what was happening, he was a tad bit too focused on her.

It was clear neither had much experience with a relationship in the beginning. Nathan once had a girlfriend back at Virginia city, which wasn't far from here actually, but they broke it off before he came over to Hope County to join the Sheriff's department and become a police officer. He didn't know about Faith but with how secluded she was during her teenage years, only ever opening up to Tracey and how the cult had some sort of policy against relationships according to Hurk (though he was mostly talking about fornicating) he was inclined to believe she never had been in one.

Whatever, they caught on pretty quick in his humble opinion.

.

Today was one of those lazy days for them. Nathan sat in the couch with Faith in his arms. They were talking about past experiences. Faith did most of the talking while Nathan was contempt with just listening at her. Her memories might have not been the most pleasant to either of them, but who was he to stop her. Once they stopped talking about that they nestled closer to each other. Nathan loved they way she showed affection towards him.

"Imagine what your friends would think if they saw us like this." Faith wondered. Nathan didn't need to, the accusations and snide comments were more than enough.

"They uh... They suspected something like this was happening, way before it even did obviously." Nathan was well aware the Resistance thought he was sleeping with her. He didn't feel like thinking about that.

"Who cares about that, really? Faith it doesn't matter what others think about us." Now, Nathan wasn't one to completely ignore what his friends thought of his actions, but now some could hardly be called friends anymore and he could care less anyway.

Faith smiled and pushed downward him so she was straddling him. Nathan was pleasantly surprised at the change. She leaned down to kiss him and happily obliged. Quite the contrary behavior to the sweet, innocent Faith he knew but hey, he wasn't complaining.

They kept at it till Nathan heard a vehicle approaching. He would've dismissed it, had it not stopped right outside the home. Pulling away from Faith, much to her displeasure, he stood and walked over to the window.

Panic quickly overcame him as he looked outside and saw a Resistance vehicle had parked outside the house. Three men hopped out, all carrying weapons. _No, no way. There's no way in hell they found us this quick. How!?_

"Deputy Nathan Rook, if you could please step just outside, and bring your friend over with you too, we need to talk to y'all!" He heard the one in the middle call out. He was a tall man with blonde hair and appeared to be in his late 50's

"You don't respond we just open fire right now, your choice." Nathan really didn't appreciate the threat so of course, he responded

"I don't think so. How about you all just leave?" Nathan cringed at what he said. _Should've kept your damn mouth shut Nathan._

Nathan quickly ran over to grab his rifle and hastily put on his bulletproof vest. With a quick glance at the window he saw that the men were still near the vehicle. Their apparent leader stepped forward to speak again.

"C'mon out Deputy, don't make this anymore difficult than it has to!" The man outside taunted. Nathan weighed his options. He doubted they were just out there to say hi to the famous Montana Deputy and maybe ask for an autograph. Nathan figured he'd distract them long enough to think of a plan that didn't involve Faith getting hurt.

"Hey man, you never even told me your name. I need to at least know who's the brave soul that's gonna kill us!" Nathan shouted from behind the door, he clicked off the semi-auto option to full on his rifle and peered out the peephole. The man raised his eyebrows, but responded in a friendly manner, humoring the deputy.

"Names Charles deputy, and believe me I ain't got nothing against ya' it's against that fucking witch with you who I've got a problem with. Do you know what she did to me Deputy? To my boy?" He asked all humor evidently gone, replaced by hatred. Nathan responded with a "No!"

"Well Deputy, your little friend in there with you turned my boy into one of those fucking Angels! She destroyed his brain Deputy, how painful do you think it was for me to see my son wandering around like a fucking zombie!? huh?" Nathan heard the man's voice break. _Christ this isn't gonna be easy..._"Have you ever had someone you love be turned into a mindless husk of their former selves Deputy? I did my son a favor by putting him down that day... I knew we should've gotten the fuck out of this town the moment those Eden's Gate fuck's arrived." From what Nathan could see and hear, the man was on the verge of tears. He took a moment to recollect himself before he spoke again.

"So I'm just getting even. That's just the way life rolls Deputy, so either you get out of the way or I take you out with her." Nathan knew he was going to hate himself for this later, but he continued to talk to the man.

"Charles right? You don't have to do this man, look she's changed alright? I'm sorry for what happened to your son but I'm going to be brutally honest with ya', killing her isn't going to make you feel better or change anything. Nothing is going to bring him back." _Oh, how I fucking hate you Nathan Rook_. Nathan winced as he heard two shots ring out and the man speak again, this time with a lot more venom in his voice.

"Oh, I _know _it ain't Deputy, believe me I fucking know it ain't, but I'm gonna do what was meant to be your job, _kill her._ Either way, Resistance don't want either of ya' alive Deputy so I'd be doing them a favor by taking you out as well..."

He signaled at the two men next to him and they inched their way closer to the house. _Looks like negotiating is out the damn window, just gotta keep all their attention on me... _He turned over to look at Faith_._

"So uh... you mind finding somewhere safe to hide? Things are just gonna get bad... Don't want you to get hurt." Nathan hurried her. He shrugged his head over to the room. Faith grabbed the collar of his jacket and pulled him in for a kiss, which he gladly returned. _I'll have to return the favor, If I make it out of this shitstorm alive..._ Nathan figured now wasn't the time for such grim thoughts. _I'm making it out alive, maybe just not in one piece_

"Nathan, if you get hurt..." Faith pulled away and looked at him with a serious face, she couldn't stop worrying, here was Nathan once again risking his life. Nathan grinned at her.

"C'mon, I've made it this far, it'll be alright." He reassured her. She didn't look very convinced but nodded her head, if only because she trusted him.

"Promise?" She asked. Nathan pulled her in one more time. Once he let go he whispered. "Promise, now go."

Nathan turned back to the men outside. The head guy had a handgun so he'd be easy pickings, the tall one on the left had a Ak-47 from the looks of it and the other shorter man had a shotgun. _Not gonna give them the benefit of the first shot. _Nathan figured he'd take the rifle man out first, then the one with the shotgun. Nathan quickly aimed through the window at the man. _Thank you for being so kind... _

Nathan had forgotten the kick his rifle had, quite a satisfying one at that. The loud sounds of it going off resonated around the house and he was sure he'd go deaf. The man with the rifle quickly fell and Nathan took the other men's surprise as an advantage and quickly ran over to the far end, to where the kitchen was. He was a millisecond too slow though as a bullet grazed his shoulder. _Fuck, that fucking stings! _Nathan ignored the pain the best he could and tried to peek out the kitchen window.

A shotgun blast told him it was probably a good idea not to so he resorted to blindly firing through it. Like hell was he going to show his head, he preferred to keep it attached, thank you very much. Reloading proved to be quite the painful issue as his arm was burning from where the bullet grazed him. Finally he managed to get the magazine into the rifle and crawled over to the living room. Above him shotgun blast after shotgun blast blew pieces of wood across the room. _C'mon buddy, you have to reload too don't you?_ The abrupt silence that immediately followed the seventh or sixth sound of the shotgun shells doing their work ment Nathan was right. Quickly standing up he shot wildly again, this time actually hitting something, if the pained sounds of Charles were anything to go by. He wasn't faring so well either, the rifle's recoil was only worsening the pain on his shoulder.

"Get that fucker!" He heard him shout. Nathan needed to do something quick before one of the bullets hit Faith. He was down to his last rifle clip, anymore fuck up's and he was done for. He still had his pistol but he'd rather not waste it just in case of any emergencies in which he'd need the suppressor.

Nathan quickly stood back up but then he heard the unmistakable sound of a pistol going off and then he felt it. The burning pain was something Nathan was more familiar with than he'd like to admit. He looked down at the blood quickly forming in his jeans. He had been shot in his thigh. _Fuck, I forgot how much that fucking hurts! _Charles had managed to hit him surprisingly. His knees buckled under him and he felt his body contort in pain.

Once again, Nathan did his best to ignore the pain and stay on his feet, which was quite the chore. He quickly shot Charles twice, both ended up hitting him in his stomach. With him out of the way he turned to the shotgun man who was apparently barely done reloading, Nathan never gave him the chance as he used the last rounds of his rifle to end the mans life. He dropped his rifle as soon as he heard the _click _indicating he had run out.

Nathan collapsed to the floor, grasping at his wound. He really got way too cocky and this is what he got as fucking punishment. _God, I really didn't miss this at all_

It took him a few minutes but he managed to painfully stand up and open the door. He saw Charles sitting in the front of his truck, bleeding profusely from both his stomach and his mouth. He looked up at the deputy and managed a pained laugh.

"Shoulda known... Fu-fuckin' Eden's Gate c-could not bring ya' down... The hell was I thinking I could?" Every word seemed to hurt him even more. He coughed up more blood.

"I figured ya' would've managed to kill me somehow. I... didn't exactly plan on... going uneven..." If he wanted, Nathan could give him a mercy killing. Though after getting shot three times, a mercy killing was only speeding up the inevitable. _That's kinda the point..._

"Argh... shit... Why? Why'd ya' save her Deputy? You had it all didn't you... Thrown away..." Charles asked Nathan. "Guess it don't matter now... Ev-evryone wants the both of you dead... Nothing ain't gonna change that..." He looked up at the sky and smiled.

"I know it won't." Nathan answered.

"You think I'll get to see my wife and kid up there, Deputy?" He asked. Nathan looked at him and answered.

"Who knows, maybe you will." Nathan tried to comfort. Sure a few minutes ago they were trying to kill each other but now wasn't the time. Nathan won but the dying man's words plus his painful wounds really didn't give him the confidence to gloat.

"I... I suggest you run Deputy. I know we both know this very well, bu-but... _argh fucking hell!_.." He couldn't even finish his sentence. Charles looked up at Nathan with a pleading look in his eyes.

"Do me the favor Deputy will ya'?"

Nathan nodded, pulled out his pistol and shot Charles once in the head, and with that it was done... _Doesn't get any fucking easier..._

Nathan could argue that it was their ignorance and stubbornness that caused all of this. He was only acting in self defense, though he doubted anyone would truly care. _Self defense, how long are you going to keep telling yourself that Nate?_

Nathan limped his way back into the house when another surge of pain hit him and he fell once again. How the hell he was still able to even walk was a mystery to him. _Must've been the adrenaline..._

He called out to Faith who came rushing out of the bedroom to help him up. Before she could speak, Nathan interrupted her.

"I know it's bad, but you have to get your stuff, we're out of here. We got to move quickly who knows if there is more nearby." Nathan gently pushed her away as he tore a piece of his shirt and tightly wrapped it around his wound to stop the bleeding.

Faith came out minutes later with her things. "We need to get you somewhere to get that patched up."

Nathan nodded his head and handed her the keys to the truck. "You're gonna have to drive, God knows I can't. It'll be fine, I know of a clinic not to far from here." He remembered the day he rushed Nick and his pregnant wife Kim over to the clinic when Kim was due. _Wonder how little Carmina is doing right now? _She deserved a better godfather than a wanted criminal like him, though hopefully he'd get to see her again one day. He didn't even know how he could think straight with such excruciating pain.

Nathan stumbled over on the passengers side and saw Faith look at the car keys strangely.

"Still remember how to drive right?" Nathan asked. They were stranded if she didn't and walking was most definitely out of the question. He sighed in relief as he saw her nod her head.

"I do, it's just been so long..." Nathan placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. She grimaced at the blood in it and he pulled away.

"Sorry, might've just ruined your dress..." Faith turned to him with a look of anger, and Nathan knew it had nothing to do with the dress. He decided to quickly change the subject.

"Don't worry, as long as you don't crash us into some grain silo along the way we're fine." His admittedly poor joke didn't get the reaction he had hoped if her scowl was anything to go by. "_Nathan..._"

"Not to hurry you or anything but my vision's going kinda blurry!" He urged with his expression contorting to one of pain. She quickly regained her composure and started up the vehicle. "Just drive I'll tell you where to go."

As she drove Nathan gave her directions. It was really hard to think straight with such pain and he hadn't been around these parts for months though he managed to remember where the clinic was.

Once they arrived at the clinic Faith was quick to help Nathan out. When she saw him take out his pistol she became worried, _he's not planning on shooting the doctors is he? _Turns out he wasn't, as there wasn't even anyone inside. Why he sighed with such relief was a mystery to Faith, he needed _professional_ help. They made their way into a room with a bed and a ton of medical supplies.

"I'm going to need you to check my wounds, doctors don't seem to be home. Take that as a blessing or a curse I don't know..." Nathan said as she sat him in one of the beds. Nathan remembered he would pass by here several times to see the place vacant. _Maybe they moved locations?_

Faith heard the slurred way he said things, _he's loosing blood, got to check him out quickly._ Faith had no idea what she was doing, but she knew she needed to check his bigger wound first. _Please don't make this wierd Nathan..._

"I'm going to need you to pull down your pants." She only hoped she hadn't said it as quietly. Nathan muttered something as he pulled them down, letting out a gasp and a string of curses when the fabric tugged at his bullet wound. Ignoring the blush she had, Faith quickly began to get to work. _One thing first!_

"For the record_, _I've never, ever done something like this alright?" Faith felt the need to emphasize. Nathan nodded and closed his eyes. "Just do your best."

_Would__ he need disinfectant?_ The wound looked clean, except for the blood that had been pouring out of course. _S__eems__ like the bullet went right through... _Regardless, she didn't want to risk it. His grunts of pain made her heart hurt, but it was necessary to get it cleaned before it got infected.

If only they had stayed quiet. If only Nathan had not responded to the men outside then they wouldn't be in this situation. She was mad at him, but her worry far outweighed any anger. She'd chew him out later though, that was a promise.

Faith soon finished wrapping the injury up and went to wash her bloody hands. She wrapped another gauze around the area of his shoulder where he had been grazed. She was about to leave to go get him something to wear that wasn't bloodied but before she could actually walk away Nathan grabbed her arm. She turned to him with a frown. "What?"

"You're mad aren't you?" Nathan felt he was asking the obvious. Faith pulled away and took a deep breath.

"I need to go get you something to put on, we can talk about this later." She left to the truck and Nathan sat back down on the bed which he had miraculously not stained with any blood.

He could understand her anger but he also needed her to understand that this might be a normal thing. It certainly was before, when he was fighting to free Hope County. Him being injured was the least of his worries, Nathan was far more worried about it _her_ getting shot or them being somehow captured by either the Resistance or Eden's Gate stragglers, both of whom had a bone to pick with them. Had he not had any ammo, they would've been real close to getting captured and definitely killed by the men at the Sawyer Residence.

It was now that the severity of the situation they were now in hit him. Without any more ammo, food being sparse and the fact that he was injured ment they were completely defenseless. If the Resistance were to find them and retaliate, they'd be in no position to defend themselves. Nathan really regretted not taking the ammo from the dead bodies at the home.

Were they back at square one? Nathan would think so, except one wrong move and they were done for. _Who would've thought what was supposed to be our safe haven just made things worse._

Faith came back in to the room a few minutes later with clothes for him. She handed them over to him and excused herself to give him the privacy to change. He painfully did so, tossing all the bloodied clothes to the side. He threw off the Kevlar vest which hadn't exactly seen any use yet, though he was still rather grateful for it. Had Charles decided to shoot him in his torso without the vest on he'd be dead.

The wound was thankfully far from the bone or anything else important to cause any serious or permanent damage but that didn't stop it from hurting like a bitch. He didn't know how long it would take to be able to walk like he wasn't an old man. _I really shouldn't be cracking jokes right now..._

He ejected the M1911's last magazine. _5 more bullets? Better make them count._ Being at such a low point again after what seemed like he finally had his slice of paradise really pissed him off. Just when life seemed to be going his way, what did it do? Completely fuck him over like always

"Great fucking going Nathan, you just had to blow it didn't you?" He chastised himself for his idiotic behavior back at the house.

Sure, he could argue that it could've gone_ much _worse had he kept quiet but Nathan felt that if maybe he just hadn't been so quick to piss off the Resistance members, he'd have thought of something that didn't involve completely fucking everything up and getting shot at. He still couldn't figure out how they found out where they were hiding. Maybe they had been following them since they got to Holland Valley and were just biding their time, striking when they were most vulnerable.

One thing that stuck with him was Charles justification for trying to kill Faith. Nathan could understand where he was coming from, the man had to see his son turn into this borderline unconscious feral thing thanks to the Bliss. Though Nathan had to assume that Angels were somehow "contempt" (and he used that in the loosest sense and with the biggest quotation marks, he knew they could barely think) with how they were, but to others seeing as how there's no way to reverse the effects, they would rather put them down than to see them in that state or cause harm.

To have to be the one to kill his own son was devastating to Charles and was a more than justified reason to hold such hatred towards Faith. Now was Nathan just going to allow him to harm her, _hell no_.

Nathan really felt like he undermined the true extent of what Faith and her followers did to the Henbane and it's people. Maybe not as bad as what John and Jacob did, but still pretty terrible.

Nathan understood that there was a far better person under that "lovely siren" persona but again, that was what he saw. What he desperately tried to make others see. The Resistance was on it's own holy crusade to destroy all of what Eden's Gate built, something he was all for originally until that, unsurprisingly, included the killing of Faith. Again, he completely understood their anger but they had taken it to far. Eli and Pastor Jerome understood that as well but with one sadly dead and the other maybe unable to get the message through to them, he knew the Resistance saw it as completely justified.

He was interrupted from his thoughts by Faith entering the room again, she still had a frown which was more on the cute side than intimidating to him but he knew not to push her.

"So, you ready to talk about what's wrong?" Nathan wanted to get straight to the point and listen to what she had to say.

"I can't believe you were foolish enough to think that taunting the man would go without consequences. Look at you, _you're shot_ and we're now out of _everything!_" Faith was livid. Though he was a bit shocked, not really expecting such a heated reaction, Nathan knew he had to make things right.

"They were going to start shooting anyway. I got them off our backs for the time being but guess what? That's not the last we're going to see of people like them because all of Hope County wants us dead." Nathan took a deep breath and continued.

"Listen, I know you're upset but really that's just going to be how things roll from now on probably. We got very lucky over at the Henbane but that maybe won't apply here and it definitely won't apply in the Whitetail Mountains." Nathan didn't mean to sound so negative but he couldn't lie to her. Sure he might have been a little to light-hearted about the situation earlier but now really wasn't the time for that.

"About our supplies, we're just going to have to make due with what we have. Eat only what we need and save what we can for later." Nathan didn't want to say he felt truly hopeless right now, but he wasn't exactly swimming in sunshine here. Hunting would be pointless as there was nothing to cook in and he didn't want to waste the last rounds of their only form of "defense". He had a stash of weapons but most were at the Jailhouse, his AK and M1911 were all he really used (regrettably).

Faith sighed and laid her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her, ignoring the burning sensation on his shoulder. "We're uh... We're gonna be okay. Just have to lay low for a bit, _again_." Though this time no longer confined in the sanctuary that was supposed to be the Sawyer Residence.

"You're not a very good liar Nathan." Her light tease was anything but funny to Nathan and she quickly understood. She leaned down to kiss him lightly. Nathan smirked at her. "Maybe I'm not, can't really blame me for trying can you?"

Faith knew Nathan was trying his best to keep calm, she greatly admired and appreciated his commitment to stay cool just for her. _It isn't necessary Nathan, really..._

"No, but that doesn't mean I'm all too happy with you." She was still angry, but she'd let it temporarily go. Now wasn't the time for arguing. Although both were tired, neither wanted to go to sleep. The fear of getting caught would surely bring more sleepless nights.

With the odds now _heavily_ against them, they had to figure out a way to get out of this mess, if they even could

**AN: Next chapter's gonna give a bigger focus on Pastor Jerome, but Jess as well as the aftermath of the shootout** **will be present.**


	12. Aftermath

The dedication to the capturing of Nathan and Faith displayed by many in the Resistance was something Jerome knew was bound to cause way more problems than it was attempting to fix. They became blinded by paranoia and hatred towards Eden's Gate that their way of "keeping the county safe" was to kill the man who had saved them. Not everyone was like that thankfully, there were many who were very vocal in opposing the murdering of the deputy.

Jerome knew Holland Valley was mostly contempt with the deputy. Though they weren't happy with Nathan's decision, they weren't going to immediately open fire when they saw him. Everyone except Charles Ford and his group of hunters. That man was a perfect example of the hatred the Resistance had towards anything related to the Cult. His unwillingness to listen to reason, much like many others, was sure to cost him dearly. Jerome only hoped he could understand that before it was too late. Those same hopes applied to everyone in the other regions who were not willing to stop the manhunt.

He had spoken to Sheriff Whitehorse a few days ago about the situation and the Sheriff agreed that it things had gotten very out of hand. Sadly, Sheriff Whitehorse wasn't making much progress attempting to convince his people that Nathan wasn't a traitor.

Now, Jerome stood feet away from the entrance tp the Whitetail Militia headquarters. The infamous Wolf's Den, the place Jacob had been so desperately trying to find before his demise at the hands of Deputy Rook. Jerome was on a meeting with the new Militia leader Tammy to attempt to convince her see the Deputy's side of things. He didn't necessarily want to leave Falls End, but he knew that Mary and the others would keep it safe.

Waiting for someone to let him in, he turned to see a sheet of paper stapled to a tree and upon closer inspection, he could see it was a wanted poster. Jerome frowned as he saw a picture of Nathan and another of Faith. Where they got them was a mystery to him, especially Faith's. He figured they got it somewhere from the Henbane River.

His thoughts were interrupted by a militia soldier stepping out of the bunker. He briefly looked at Jerome then looked around the area. Seeing as there was nothing out of the ordinary, he turned to Jerome.

"You can come in Pastor, Tammy's waiting for ya'"

They walked in and the man led him through the corridors to a room where Tammy and another young man were. The soldier cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Tammy, Pastor's here to talk to you." And with that, he excused himself. Tammy turned to address the Pastor with a firm handshake

"Pastor Jerome, we haven't seen each other in a while. Let me guess, you're here to talk aboutall that's been going on..."

Straight to the point, huh? Jerome smiled and nodded at her. He knew it wasn't going to be easy, and more than likely not be able to change her mind in one day. Still have to try for your sake Deputy...

"Yes, Tammy don't you think this has gone long enough? The deputy was falsely accused of being a traitor for saving an enemy. We've had defectors many times before, what was the change of heart with this one?"

Tammy frowned and took a deep breath, seemingly trying to keep her composure.

"It was no change of heart Pastor, this is Faith Seed we're talking about, not your run of the mill peggie. She and her brothers caused all of this, they don't deserve mercy. The deputy was well aware, yet he ignored it all and saved her." Tammy finished by looking at a picture of Eli. Jerome noticed how her face softened for a moment

"She could be valuable to finding the Father don't forget that, but this isn't just about her. Nathan was immediately discarded by what were supposed to be his allies. That doesn't sound like fair treatment for the man who singlehandedly saved most of Hope County" Jerome needed her and everyone else to understand just what they had done to Nathan. A young man barely in his mid twenties had his whole life ruined by an entire county's unwillingness to listen to reason.

Tammu laughed humorlessly. "Ah yes, who could forget Junior Deputy Nathan Rook? I'm sure you're well aware of his little conditioning. The same conditioning that took Eli Palmer's life and the same conditioning that's waiting to be triggered at any chance." She stopped and stared intently at Jerome

"Pastor do you know that we're dealing with an extremely unstable person here? At any moment that damn song can play and it all goes to hell... We've learned our mistakes, keeping him around is like keeping a time bomb. You don't know when it'll happen, and you'll be unprepared when it eventually does..."

Jerome understood their concerns but that still didn't warrant completely turning on Nathan. They could've made an effort to try and help him.

"Who's to say that the conditioning can't be reversed? Maybe someone knows about the effects and can help the deputy." There could be doctors in Hope County that hadn't been taken by Eden's Gate.

"We've tried Pastor, we've looked all around for anyone that could help. He hasn't been the first to go through that, many before him did." Tammy didn't feel pressed to look anymore, Jacob was gone and that was all that mattered to the Militia. No more Jacob meant no more conditioning.

"The people here haven't got a clue to what even causes the conditioning, let alone how to treat it. Only people who might know anything are the Seed's and their lackeys." Tammy finished.

"So you think she might know something?" Jerome asked. Tammy shrugged, not too sure.

"She might, but she'd rather use the conditioning to for her own benefit. I doubt she would help him in anyway possible if she's not getting anything out of it."

Avoiding the dangers of Nathan possible killing her might be beneficial for Faith, but Jerome suspected Tammy knew that already.

He knew that the conditioning wasn't the only reason Nathan was being ostracized by everyone in the Militia, neither was him saving Faith.

"Is all of this about Eli? Do you blame Nathan for his death?" He asked, he had a feeling he knew the answer already.

"Blame him? No. His conditioning did all the dirty work for Jacob so it seems his attempts to make him the perfect soldier paid off for him in the end. I told Eli that it was dangerous to keep him around, he foolishly didn't listen." Her voice became hoarse and strained near the end. She quickly changed the subject to avoid becoming emotional.

"We can't do anything to reverse the effects, so we'll just rid ourselves of the danger..." Tammy leaned back against a table and crossed her arms.

"Getting rid of him to save yourselves, is that really how you operate?" Jerome was slightly appalled by her statement, he didn't expect to hear that ever.

"Not just ourselves, but everyone else he comes near. You think that the conditioning will just go away with time? No, no one we know can provide any help so he'll probably live with it for the rest of his life. Not just that but he betrayed us... He chose Faith over the Resistance and we're still expected to try and help him?" Tammy asked, like it was the stupidest she had ever heard.

"Is there no changing your mind on this?" He asked. She shook her head. "The damage has been done Pastor, Nathan chose who his priority was and for that he has to face the consequences. Ask anyone in the right state of mind, and they'll tell you the same thing"

Jerome sighed in defeat, nodded and began to walk out but stopped when he heard Tammy call him once more.

"I suggest you drop him too, for your safety. At any moment that song can play and it's over... Besides, he's been long enough around the Seed girl, who knows of how much he's changed because of her..." Her advise fell on deaf ears, though Jerome didn't know if he should respond. He didn't, in the end he gave her one final nod and walked out.

I should've known this wouldn't be easy... He wasn't completely done with the Whitetail Mountains and it's people, there still had to be sympathizers who were willing to aid the Deputy. Tammy was clear on why she, and everyone else who did, hated Nathan: His conditioning, what he did to Eli, and saving Faith. Jerome knew that hatred would only make it more difficult for him to try and get the message through, much more so than now

His next destination, The Henbane River, wasnt going to be easy either, but that did have more people that defended the deputy than the Whitetails seemed to have. Their appointed leader Sheriff Whitehorse was against the manhunt. His subordinates like Deputy Hudson were also very defending of the deputy, asking to hear his side of the story before jumping to conclusions. The thing was that the majority there already had their minds set after what happened at the jailhouse and the murders at the garage near the jail.

There were still prominent figures there that respected the deputy aside from his co-workers, like the Drubman's. He knew Hurk and Adelaide spoke very highly of Nathan and, if his senator campaign posters around Hope County proclaiming Nathan as 'Campaign Manager', he had to assume Drubman Senior did as well. So there was a small group of people who were in support of Nathan but they were being drowned by the overwhelming amount that hated him.

Jerome would now return to Holland Valley for a few days, hopefully something turned up and the deputy was found. Something told him he hadn't yet been found, Jess or someone else would've contacted him already. Still, he needed to be there in case they did. It would also take much convincing to get Nathan to agree to meet up with him, he had to have harbored a great distrust towards everyone in the time he's been on the run.

_How exactly can I help you Deputy? _

Sure, Jerome knew he definitely would help him and Faith, but he didn't exactly know what to do when he managed to see Nathan again. They could hide out in one of the abandoned homes in Falls End, but Nathan would be definitely asked to be seen by his co-workers and boss over at the Henbane. Not only would Nathan crossing the still hostile river would be a foolish mistake, but Jerome doubted he'd leave Faith alone with people who still greatly hated her for what she did. So that meant they'd still have to be in hiding till things were hopefully settled in the Henbane specifically.

He thought back to what Tammy said about Nathan being around Faith too much. What if he had changed? And for the worse. Jerome prayed that if Nathan was found, he wouldn't immediately resort to violence to protect Faith. _If being put through the worst that Eden's Gate had didn't change you, I don't believe she will either Deputy..._

Only time would definitely tell if Nathan really changed as a person

.

Jess was at Falls End again, she wanted to unwind after a long day of searching for the little runaways. The Spread Eagle was the perfect place to do so, the beer was alright and no one dared bother her. Mary May informed her that Pastor Jerome had gone to the Whitetails to talk with the leadership. _Good luck with that... _Jess knew Tammy wouldn't listen to him, that lady also wanted Nathan dead like everyone else in that Militia. Not her problem though, Jess was looking to relax for a day or two, unless someone caught wind of Nathan.

For as much as she wanted to, Jess couldn't stop thinking about what Pastor Jerome had told her. What the hell would she do if Nathan responded aggressively when Jess confronted Faith? If they, _God she hated thinking it_, had infact form some sort of bond while on the run, then Nathan would definitely respond.

She previously had caught a small glimpse of his protectiveness towards the flower whore. At the jailhouse he demanded she stay away from Faith, after finding out Jess had beat her when Nathan was at Faith's Gate and that was the first time Nathan had ever directed any anger towards her.

She of course, responded by threatening him that if he ever spoke to her like that she'd kick the everliving shit out of him. Looking back, she knew she wouldn't have or probably could have. Nathan, while not the most skilled hand to hand fighter, was still pretty strong. Strong enough to survive out there without much help and though he could, the same couldn't be said for piece of shit with him.

Jess felt that maybe there was more to just hating Faith because she was part of Eden's Gate. Was it jealousy? _Fuck no, like I could ever be jealous of that whore..._ She felt she was lying to herself. Did she harbor more than just friendly feelings towards Nathan? Maybe, but it was definitely too late now to know if he ever felt the same. Jess knew she only had herself to blame, for as friendly as Nathan was she never really opened up to him as much as he had to her. Sure they were close friends, but that's as far as they got, as far as it seemed she wanted it. The closest they ever got was when she could call him Nate without him bitching about it, _still don't like being called Jessica... _

If Nathan really had formed some sort of relationship with Faith outside of just protecting her, then it would make the whole killing her process nearly impossible. She was still doing it regardless, she just needed time to think on _how._

As she continued drinking her beer she overhead two men to her left talking. She wasn't a nosy person, mainly because she didn't give a shit what others had to say but she did now as soon as she heard 'The Deputy' being mentioned. Pretending she was engrossed in her drink, she listened closely to the two men.

"So apparently Charles and his guys went out looking for the deputy and Faith. Left a day ago, hasn't made it back yet. It's surprising cause you know how that man rushes to the bar any chance he has."

Jess was familiar with the man in question. Charles Ford was quite the annoying individual. Sometimes she'd stick around to hear Pastor Jerome's sermons, not out of any religious belief or anything, and he'd usually talk about Nathan. It was then when that man's mouth ran off. Talking about how the people shouldn't be forgiving of a traitor, how keeping a Seed alive was bound to cause trouble etc. She wouldn't be at all surprised if he met his end by pissing Nathan off, it'd be a relief

"Ya' don't think he died or something?" The other man asked. Jess knew Nathan would only be fucking up his chances of redeeming himself if he engaged with any Resistance soldiers. Intentionally or not, the people of Hope County didn't take kindly to someone attacking one of their own, _fucking ironic..._

"It's either that or he left Holland Valley, which don't make much sense given the guy lives here." The first man responded.

If Nathan had infact gotten into a firefight with the man, then he'd most likely be out of ammo. The day before she came to Holland Valley, she had resupplied at the jailhouse. There she saw that all of the weapons Nathan had collected were still there collecting dust. The Cougars didn't use them, either out of the hatred or they just didn't need to. The day he escaped he only had his AK-M and his pistol, not enough to get him through. If he hadn't already, hed be bound to run out soon and when he did he'd begin to get desperate.

Jess knew it wouldn't happen immediately, he was still more than capable of surviving with just the bare minimum, he was taught by the best after all: Jess Black! Still, he wasn't as skilled as her and was far better suited to firearms. Her attention was diverted back to the two men.

"I did hear gunshots when I was driving near the Sawyer Residence, y'know the abandoned home Mrs Drubman tried to sell. I didn't wander too long, but If I had to guess, he must've caught up to the deputy and well..."

He didn't need to finish, the insinuation that Nathan killed him somewhere was all Jess needed to get back to work, after a quick night of sleep. She wasn't a machine, even she needed rest.

Finishing her beer, Jess payed Mary and stepped out into the night. There was a slight breeze but far be it for her to feel cold. Okay, so now she had a lead, all that was left was to contact Pastor Jerome and let him know.

Walking over to her ATV, she contemplated on where she was going to crash. She could always just camp out in the fields, stars were pretty nice tonight. _I __might as well..._

She knew it wouldn't take long before she caught up to Nathan, it would be then when she would know who he really was with and if this whole chase had been for naught.

She hoped she wasn't wrong to have placed such trust in him...

**AN: Next chapter will have more intimate Nathan/Faith interactions and their views on the situation. The conditioning Nathan was put through will be also brought up more in the coming chapters.**


	13. Peace of Mind

Laying low had never been Nathan's expertise, he was much more accustomed to nearly dying every day in gunfights with Eden's Gate members. When he was viscously fighting for his life, luck was always on his side but the minute he decides to take it easy everything just seemed to go to shit, all the time. One would think that with such a record regarding those types of experiences he'd learn to expect to worse and prepare, but he never learned.

He was guilty of always letting his guard down when he felt even the slightest bit comfortable. The inevitable paranoia he developed in the process wasn't fun. With how much stress that brought, he was sure he'd have a full set of gray hair before forty. _Are you really sure you're making it to your forties Nate? You're lucky if you make it through the year..._

The whole time he had been in Hope he always wondered where the hell was the outside help. He knew Eden's Gate had basically cut off the county from the rest of the world, but still. A U.S Marshall had gone missing, didn't Burke's disappearance and unfortunate death mean anything to his supervisors who had ordered him to come here. And also, he knew he wasn't the only one with family outside of the county, others did too. Surely suspicions would've arisen from people that couldn't contact their friends and family here.

Hell, even though Agent Willis completely screwed him over, Nathan had expected him to at least tell his superior of what the hell was going on here. Now, he didn't expect the entire United States Army to barge into Hope County but still... _at least the National Guard or something! _

It was thoughts like those, as well as the fear of having his throat slit, that sometimes kept him up at night.

Now he wasn't sleeping for totally different reasons

Neither he nor Faith had slept since they arrived at the clinic. He was still in way too much pain to even attempt to do so and he tried, really! Every time it seemed he was finally drifting off into slumber the dull, throbbing pain in his thigh reminded him that now wasn't the time. Faith had given him painkillers but those did jack shit, he still appreciated it though.

Faith couldn't sleep because she was fearful that someone might find them and she'd be too asleep to even comprehend or react to anything. She saw Nathan desperately trying to go to sleep several times throughout the day, but he never closed his eyes for more than ten minutes. She thought about turning on the radio to distract them, but she wasn't too fond of the monotone news reporter talking about conflicts in other parts of the world. She also tried conversing with Nathan but his answers to any of her questions were usually one worded and uninterested. Faith understood, _and hoped_, it was because of the pain he was in.

They spent the day laying next to each other bed, not really saying much. Nathan's attempts at sleeping were futile and Faith's attempts to _not_ sleep were as well. Nathan noticed her tired state and figured that he should be the one to be on the lookout for anything.

"Hey, you should sleep. I'll keep watch." His offer was met with her shaking her head no

"It's fine, _you _look like you're about to fall dead asleep." Faith rejected his offer, but she knew she wanted nothing more than to sleep for a few hours. She also had quite the headache but reserved the painkillers for Nathan's injury.

"You're not faring any better yourself, look I can't sleep because of the wound. I can try to but the pain immediately wakes me up. Just rest for a while..." Nathan sat up and leaned against the headboard of the bed. She tried to sit up as well but was held back by Nathan's arm.

"Faith, I can do it. I'm not completely useless right now."

Now, Faith would've like to have argued that he _needed_ all of the rest but she didn't, instead, she nodded her head, leaned closer, kissed him, and laid her head on his chest, where she fell asleep almost immediately.

Nathan looked down at her and sighed. Back at square one, but this time with barely anything to get them by. He draped his jacket over Faith and grabbed the pill bottle on the small table next to him.

He tried his best to ignore the pain in his leg and popped the painkillers in his mouth. Maybe a few more than really necessary but he was aching for the relief. Downing the tablets with a dry mouth and no water was a bit difficult but he managed. Had Faith been awake she would've probably reprimanded him, but thankfully she wasn't. Nathan felt his eyelids grow heavier by the minute. He knew sleep fast approaching but his leg would prevent him from resting. Still, he closed his eyes and hoped he could rest. _And hopefully wake up too_...

Sleep was granted to him and he managed to remain unconscious for a few hours, uninterrupted by the pain and nightmares that had plagued him many times before.

* * *

Nathan opened his eyes and was met with total darkness. The window to his left allowing only a bit of moonlight to seep through. He felt Faith moving around next to him. He wanted to go back to sleep again, but the pain in his leg returned. It wasn't as painful as before but he would still walk around with a limp.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness he noticed Faith's figure sitting up. He looked in slight amusement as she stumbled across the room to the light switch. The light was blinding but his eyes, once again, readjusted themselves. Faith smiled at him and with an apologetic look muttered "I'm sorry".

"What time is it?" The darkness outside meant they either barely slept or they slept the entire day away.

"It's three in the morning. We slept in the evening." Faith told him. _Holy hell, the whole day?_

She walked over and sat at the edge of the bed. Her eyes drifted from his to the area where he had been shot. "How's the leg? Any better?" She asked. Nathan nodded.

"Uh, yeah I guess. It's not bad as before, still hurts though." He knew it would take a few days till the pain subsided, this wasn't the first time he had ever been shot after all. The uncertainty in her face was something Nathan understood. "It's fine, trust me I've been through much worse..."

She looked at him, eyes full of worry. "Like what?"

"Your eldest brother's conditioning comes to mind."

_Of course, how could I forget? _Faith knew that was a touchy subject for Nathan, he always seemed to avoid it. "Oh, I'm sorry..."

Nathan shook his head and laughed lightly. "It's alright, don't worry about it."

"Though, I've got to know..." He began, looking directly at her.

"You being you, and how close you were to them, I'm sure Jacob must've let you and your brothers in on what he was doing to me, do you know anything about the conditioning?" Nathan asked. Faith knew it wouldn't take long before he asked her about it.

"Well, _I _personally don't know much. As Heralds we mostly did our own thing, without much input from the others although Jacob always relayed all of what he was doing to the Father. He did see you as his assured victory against the Whitetail Militia. He was very proud of your ability to turn on the soldiers as soon as that song played." Faith saw what he was doing as borderline unnecessary, she saw easing people into the cult as much more beneficial and less likely to create internal resentment. Forcing them into submission would not ensure loyalty in her opinion but the Father didn't seem to have a problem.

She did try speaking with Jacob several times about the issue but he always reassured her that it would pay off, that once Nathan was done with the Militia that Jacob would loan him to her to do his thing at the Henbane. In the end, Jacob's master plan ended up backfiring, he only managed to cripple the Resistance not wipe it out. Eli was the only prominent leader who died, not the rest of the head figures like Jacob had hoped for and Nathan eventually took him out as well.

"After we fought, and as he was dying, he told me he wasn't really sure that Joseph could really speak to God. Did he ever display any doubt towards the project?" That was honestly not very surprising to Faith. Sure, Jacob may have never publicly stated his doubt of the Father's word, but she always suspected he wasn't as believing as she or even John were. Be it fear or respect, Jacob always kept silent on those matters.

"Not openly, no. He was loyal to the Father."

_Of course, that fucker was probably only happy to be along for the ride... _If there was a Seed he _definitely_ hated it was the eldest of the three (four counting Faith). Nathan figured they could drop the seriousness of the conditioning. He didn't need to feel even more depressed and felt like lightening the mood.

"Y'know, I'm not saying I enjoyed any minute of what he put me through, but Jacob did me a solid by not conditioning me to other music from The Platters. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't listen to _The Great Pretender _anymore." Nathan jokingly confessed. It wasn't to say he didn't like _Only You_, but it wasn't his favorite of the group. To not be able to hear Tony Williams's voice anymore would've driven him insane more so than the conditioning itself.

"I don't think this is something you should talk very lightly about." Faith advised him. Nathan had been through a lot of terrible things when he was captured by Jacob, how he nonchalantly joked about it was off-putting to Faith. Nathan smirked and responded.

"You're right, I'm sorry, The Platters' smashing hits aren't something to joke about." He laughed as she shook her head in disapproval.

"Aren't you worried?" She asked. Nathan stopped laughing as he noticed her disturbed look.

"About what? The song? Thankfully, I've never heard it once on the radio and I blast that thing all the time." Nathan wasn't really concerned.

He knew the Whitetails were aware he had been conditioned but he didn't know if they knew the specific song that triggered it. He couldn't do anything if they decided to start blaring it through speakers or something. The only other people who knew about it and also wanted him dead were Eden's Gate, but they weren't the threat they once were, at least to him.

"Still, we don't know if other songs don't do the same." Faith rebutted. Okay, _that _got him a bit paranoid. Not being able to know if the conditioning was confined to only one song was terrifying. Nathan didn't want to imagine him attacking someone, all because he listened to the wrong Rolling Stones song.

"We don't, you're right but it's not like we can avoid listening to music. Every car and every house has a radio tuned in to a station." Nathan felt pressed to remind her that they had bigger problems to solve and playing _"guess the song that'll turn Nathan into a psycho"_ wasn't one of them. Food was one of the bigger concerns.

"Anyways, have you checked how much food we have left?" Nathan wasn't hungry, but he knew he'd be eventually. Faith nodded and recited what she saw they had, which wasn't much...

How he missed not eating bland deer meat, expired potato chips, and constantly drinking only water. Hell, he rarely even had beer anymore. He had promised himself a few months back, that as soon as the conflict with Eden's Gate was over, he'd rush to the nearest McDonald's and order _everything _on the menu. Of course, given that Hope County didn't have any fast-food restaurants and the fact that he couldn't show his face in public without being murdered, those plans were at the back burner.

"We _really_ should've stocked up at the house before we left..." They had left in such a hurry Nathan forgot to pack anything aside from what they had. _Keeps getting better and better..._

"Should we go back, for food at least?" Faith asked him. Nathan was tempted to go but feared that if they did they might be caught by anyone investigating the shootout. Someone had to have found the bodies already, _or maybe they haven't yet, _or maybe they _have_.

Usually, one to take his chances, Nathan knew this wasn't just about him anymore. "As much as I want to, we may be spotted by Resistance soldiers and with no way to defend ourselves, we'd be done for."

Nathan didn't want to risk getting her hurt. They would have to make do with what they had for who knows how long, food, and weapon wise...

Five rounds, that's all his handgun had. Once those were gone, he'd have to resort to using something else as a form of defense. His fists? Sure, if his enemies weren't so fond of weapons like assault rifles and shotguns then _maybe_ he could use them. He, unfortunately, lost his combat knife somewhere in the escape from the Henbane so he'd have to _really_ get creative and learn to properly use stealth to defeat his enemies. The only thing he knew about sneaking around was what Jess was adamant about teaching him, which would soon prove it's usefulness, or not. He thought about looking around the clinic to see if he could find a weapon. Now, clinics were not known for their abundance of firearms but with John's little forceful but temporary occupation of the valley, he knew everyone had a spare. Just in case peggies got a little too close to home.

"I'm gonna look around later, see if the ol' doc left behind a Colt or something..." Okay, maybe he was reaching too far but even ammo would be useful.

"Seems like we can't catch a break huh? Things always seem to go sideways at every turn..." Faith's depressed tone hurt Nathan but she spoke the truth. Nothing ever went their way for more than a few days. _I mean we have each other, that went right, right...?_

He pulled her close to him, trying to comfort her as best he could. He didn't say anything though,_ what can I say? That everything's going to be alright? No, everything isn't going to be alright, not until we get out of Hope County..._

A part of Nathan often toyed with the idea that they could live out their lives in the old prepper bunkers, but that wouldn't work. Supplies were gonna run out eventually in those too.

He never understood the abundance of those things, sure some were from the Cold War era, when everyone feared nuclear war and listened to atomic age jingles but most were somewhat recently built. They could be used for other things obviously, like in case a terrible hurricane storm or tornado hit the county, or if an insane cult took over their homes, though nuclear war sounded more believable than that one. Other stuff like that...

He remembered his father consulting his mother if they should build one a few years back. His father's proposal was quickly shot down in favor of actually paying for his older brother's college tuition.

_I have__ to face it, we've got no place in Hope County anymore, not even underground..._

His thoughts were interrupted as Faith pulled away from his embrace and looked up at him. He loved the color of her eyes, a beautiful shade of blue.

"I'm really glad I met you, Nathan..." She whispered as she placed her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. He returned the kiss and placed his hands on her waist, pulling her close to him. They stayed like that for a minute or two, time was of little importance to them.

Neither wanted to let go but eventually, Nathan did. He smiled down at her and kissed her once more before responding.

"I'm glad I met you too." Nathan had honestly not expected to have fallen as hard as he had for her. He wasn't complaining, if anything he rejoiced in the love she gave him.

"So I was hoping that we could do something. Y'know as a time waster."

"Like what?" Nathan checked the clock, it was four in the morning what could they do to waste time? _Sleep some more?_

Faith grabbed his hands and held them. "We could aske each other personal questions." She responded.

Nathan nodded slowly, was this going to be like the questions she asked him back at the Sawyer Residence?

"I feel like maybe we should know more about each other. We know the bare minimum but I figured we do, then we can find things we have in common!"

He loved her enthusiasm. Nathan was all up for knowing more about her, but she already knew mostly everything about him. "I mean, you know a lot about me. So I'm not sure if there's much left to learn anymore..."

Faith frowned slightly. "We don't have to do this if you don't want to it's fine."

_Maybe I should speak to her with less of a bitchy attitude..._ Nathan quickly nodded his head at her. "Hey no, no I'm sorry. Let's go on it's fine... You go first I guess."

"Okay, so that night you and your coworkers came into the Father's compound to arrest him you were wearing your uniform. On the plaque that read your name I saw an 'A' between your first and last name." Faith was wondering what his middle name was, if he'd even tell her

Nathan nodded again, no one knew his middle name except the other deputies and his boss. It wasn't because he was ashamed of it or anything, he just never felt the need to bring it up.

"My middle name huh? Well it's uh, it's actually my mother's maiden one, Archland. My dad wanted to honor her last name so I and my brothers all have it" Nathan wondered how she exactly managed to see it. He was at a reasonable distance from her, lighting wasn't even good inside either. _Must have a near-perfect vision or something._

"Nathan _Archland_ Rook? hmmm..." Faith tested around with it. It rolled well enough off the tongue. "I like it." She assessed. She giggled at Nathan's blush and he followed in suit. "Alright, your turn."

Nathan thought of a question for a moment, he didn't really know what to ask. He knew she had no middle name to ask about so he decided he'd ask her what she liked to do, aside from dancing and poetry. "So you've told me you like dancing and poetry. Anything else? Singing, acting, _lacrosse_ ?"

Faith laughed at the last part, she loved to sing so she went with that. "I do love singing. It's such a stress reliever for me, much like it is to you I would imagine."

"Well I wouldn't say singing is the reliever, it's more a byproduct of the relief from listening to music I like" Nathan corrected. Singing along to great music wasn't really what relieved his stress, but rather the songs themselves

This was perfect for Faith's next question. "Alright, so what specific genre or artists do you listen to?"

Nathan thought on that for a minute. He usually listened to whatever played on the radio, but he did have specific artists he liked.

"Genre? Anything as long as it's catchy I guess. Artists? Well, I like to listen to the Four Seasons, The Who, Bob Dylan stuff like that. The best the sixties had to offer y'know. It's music I picked up from hanging around my grandfather so much."

"The Four Seasons?" Faith had heard of the group before, Tracey mentioned them a couple of times during their teenage years. Called the lead singer an "annoying, constipated, wailing, pregnant woman", and apparently he was a man. The absurdity of her insult always stuck with Faith.

"Yeah, you've heard of them? My grandfather's favorite group. He used to say there was no other falsetto like Valli's, I have to agree with him."

"It seems the two of you were very close." When they were "enemies," Nathan told her his decision to join police work was to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather. Faith wanted to know a bit more about that.

"Definitely, my grandfather really taught me a lot. Used to be a sheriff during his time, and was the one who taught me to use a gun. I always loved the admittedly over the top stories he'd tell me." Nathan closed his eyes and reminisced the stories of those wild shootouts and the saving of people left and right, much like he had been doing not too long ago. The stories were obviously fake, but to ten-year-old Nate that didn't matter, they were the coolest thing in the world.

"And to be honest, as a dumb kid the main reason I wanted to join police work was because of all the _'cool guns' _I'd get to use. I had a very black and white view on crime, much like any other ten year old. Bad guys are forever bad and I, as Officer Rook, was the one to forever be in the right." Not now, _he _was the one who was wrong, maybe not in his eyes but in the eyes of those who felt he was.

"Sadly, old Sheriff Stanley Archland passed away before I even got to apply for my job." When Nathan heard the news, he felt as if he had the wind knocked out of him and he was a wreck for days. His passing was one of the reasons he was uncomfortable with people calling him Nate, his grandfather had been the only one to call him that.

He became a deputy with the intent of doing the right thing and making his grandfather proud. Nathan felt as if he would be disappointed if he knew how his life had turned out now, and he hated himself for that...

* * *

Faith heard as his voice became progressively more strained until the end. She was quick to tightly embrace him. He buried his face in her neck and she felt his arms wrap around her. She ran her fingers through his soft, jet black, wavy hair.

Nathan didn't cry, but he did smile. It felt odd to be the one to be comforted, but it also felt very nice. Her beautiful voice reassuring him that everything would be alright made Nathan believe her, if only for a few moments. He quickly composed himself and brought up the questions again. "I... I got on a bit of a tangent there, sorry. Let's uh, let's continue. It's my turn right?"

Faith smiled back at him, they didn't need to keep going if he didn't want to. "It's fine Nathan, we can stop here, pick up where we left off later."

"Hey now, it's fine let's keep going. C'mon, it's not like we've got better things to do." Nathan argued, he hoped he hadn't ruined it for her. _No one needs to hear your pity stories dumbass! _Pity was the last thing he needed in times like these.

"Are you sure? Nathan, it's fine if you want to stop right now." Faith didn't want to keep going if it made him uncomfortable, but he seemed set on continuing. He gave her one final nod and asked his question.

"Ummm... So what about you, what music do you like?" He remembered hearing her singing Al Martino not too long ago.

"Well, I like just about anything really. Though, there isn't a smoother voice than Al Martino's." _So I was right. _

"_To Each His Own_, right? That's a nice one." Nathan liked the artist, though maybe not as much as she did.

"Yeah, I was introduced to him when I was in high school. One of the rather unpopular kids played his music. I'm not saying I was any popular myself but that girl was a lot less than me. We ended up becoming friends" Tracey _really _didn't like anyone in highschool. It took a while for Faith to get her to like her.

Nathan knew who she was talking about, it wouldn't take a genius to figure out.

He figured he'd take her advice and stop here for a while, he wasn't feeling all too great right now. "Well, this was nice. I still felt like you learned more about me than I did you." Nathan felt himself growing sleepy again. Faith laughed.

"We can always keep going later?" Her proposal sounded nice to Nathan.

"Sure, though I'll be asking more questions this time." He said as he laid back into the bed, ready to sleep the rest of the night away. Faith leaned down and placed her lips on his.

"Goodnight Nathan, I love you." He heard the shyness in her voice as she said that. He smiled brightly at her words.

"I love you too." He responded and Nathan really meant it.

As soon as he closed his eyes again he immediately fell asleep. Once again uninterrupted by the tormenting nightmares that had caused him many restless nights.


	14. Illusions

It had been three days already since they arrived at the small clinic, and Nathan had been sleeping through most days entirely. He knew he was supposed to be on alert and protecting Faith, but he couldn't find the energy to do so. He was still extremely paranoid, more so than ever but he didn't have the energy to do much. Blame it on the injury or lack of eating properly, but Nathan felt physically weak constantly.

He wouldn't dream, thankfully because he wasn't in the mood for nightmares. Most of the time it would be like he only closed his eyes for what seemed like five seconds and upon reopening them, hours had passed. The cycle repeated itself everyday. Waking up to the dull pain in his leg was the worst part of the it all for Nathan. He would only wake up to eat, drink or go to the bathroom. The only silver lining to slipping back into the realm of consciousness being he got the opportunity to cuddle with Faith, but even then he would quickly fall into deep slumber and unable to really enjoy it for more than a few minutes, but she did so it was fine.

Days quickly turned to night's in the blink of an eye, and Nathan was none the wiser to the situation they would quickly find themselves in. Though he should've known, supplies were extremely low already.

And much like the good things in life, they don't last forever...

.

Nathan opened his eyes and winced, the bright sunlight blinding him. He groaned and tried turning the to his other side but by then it was too late, he knew he wouldn't be going to sleep. Wiping his eyes he blinked rapidly and turned to the window, only to be blinded again. The sunlight pouring through the gap between the curtains was extremely irritating so he reluctantly stood up and shut them the whole way.

"Good morning, you're up and for more than a few seconds too!" He heard Faith's voice tease from behind him. He turned to see her standing at the doorway, smirking at him.

"Would've stayed asleep had it not been for the damn sunlight." Nathan saw clouds in the far distance, looked pretty grey too. He sat back down on the bed and patted the empty space next to him. Faith walked over and laid on the bed. The cheap sheets were awfully comfortable in her opinion.

"Your hair's a mess." Faith joked as she looked down at his thigh, her smile quickly disappeared from her face. "Is your leg feeling any better today?"

The injury now wasn't anywhere as bad as when he was first shot obviously, but it was still painful. With the pain diminishing little by little Nathan hoped it wouldn't take long before he could walk properly. For now he'd have to keep limping, with every step feeling like someone was pressing on the wound.

"It's getting better, I hope. Still be a while before I can do anything remotely productive. By the way, what time is it?" Nathan wondered how long he had been asleep.

"Well, it's one in the afternoon, you slept soundly for eight hours. I couldn't sleep, so I figured I'd wait for you to wake up." Faith decided to omit the fact that he had been tossing and turning, cussing away at people that weren't there and at one point even throwing a punch at the air.

Faith was concerned, it was obviously the stress of all that had been happening, plus everything else he had been through before. It was evident that what he had been through left a lasting effect, be it the conditioning Jacob put him through, John's sadistic cleansing, her Bliss, or all three.

Nathan really wasn't opening up beyond minor comments about his conditioning and cleansing, which he mixed in with jokes.

About the rest of his adventures across Hope County she knew just as much as everyone else, but not about what it had done to his mental health. Only he knew that, and wasn't exactly willing to talk about it.

"Yeah, And you've been waiting all eight hours? I'm flattered." Nathan asked, moving closer to her

"Someone had too." She responded as her face inched closer to his until they were only centimeters apart.

"And that someone was you?" Nathan asked as he closed the gap between them.

Their lips met and both felt their problems fade away. Once they parted Faith lifted her hand to caress Nathan's face.

"If not me, then who else?" She answered. Nathan laughed and kissed her once more. "You're absolutely right..."

"Anyways, I'll be right back, gotta get this thing off." Nathan cocked his head at his right shoulder. He figured it had been long enough for it to heal, as a matter of fact the only reason he kept it on so long was because Faith insisted he did.

"Fine, but don't keep me waiting..." She whispered in his ear. She lightly pinched his cheek and giggled at his blush.

"Uh, uh... Uh yeah, sure be right back..." He stammered, not too sure how to respond. It wasn't that he had never flirted, he had experience with it. It was just he didn't expect_ Faith _to do so.

"Wouldn't dream of it." He stood up and walked out of the room. He saw her pick up her backpack and began to look around inside.

.

_"...It's one in the afternoon, you slept soundly for eight hours._"

Faith's words stuck with Nathan as he walked in to the bathtroom. Time seemed to go by incredibly fast for him. He hadn't even noticed it was August already. It had been nearly five months since he arrived at Hope County and a month since he had been labeled a "traitor", much to his shock. It was still amazing how quickly his life had changed in the span of those months, for better and worse. He went from being your average deputy to leader of the resistance to traitor of said resistance. His time in the county sounded like those stories his grandfather told him, except this was all very much real.

_It's been quite the bumpy ride..._

Well, _bumpy_ was quite the understatement, but the message was clear...

He often liked to wonder what he would be doing had he not become a deputy. _Would he be working at his father's construction company?_ No, he always wanted to do something more engaging, plus he wasn't a real big fan of splinters.

_Hunter__?_ Selling skins didn't sound like a viable source of income, didn't matter how good Grace said he was with a sniper or if he knew the important meats of an animal, courtesy of Jess's "outdoor survival training" as he liked to call it.

He could've kept at the whole football thing he had going on during highschool, he was pretty good at that, with how much he survived here he could surely withstand a few head concussions.

These were, mostly, all safe professions that were guaranteed to extend his lifetime to at least his seventies, and not develop some form of PTSD in the process. Nathan didn't exactly regret becoming a deputy, he loved his job, but everything else that happened afterwards, _well__ I could live without that..._

He looked himself over in the bathroom mirror. The situation hadn't only taken a toll on his mental health, _physically_ he had _definitely _seen better days. His face looked a bit gaunt, obviously from not really eating much. The bags under his eyes gave the impression that either sleep was an extremely foreign concept for him, or that he was fresh out of a fistfight he probably lost.

All in all, he wasn't looking nor feeling too great. He attempted to comb his hair by running his fingers through it. _I've__ got to at least look decent, but for who? Faith? She was probably just joking, but still..._

Once done with that, Nathan rolled up the sleeve of his shirt to remove the gauze from his shoulder. He saw the scar from the LMG round that had nicked his arm at the King's Hot Springs Hotel. _It'll go nicely with this one! _

Peeling off the gauze he saw that the gash from the bullet grazing him was healing along nicely, not a sign of infection. He hoped the same would apply to the injury in his leg. If it wasn't then he'd have to amputate it. The image of him hopping around on one leg was humorous, but thankfully Faith had applied disinfectant to both wounds the day they got here.

Nathan lifted his shirt to see what the damage to his chest was. There were two scars on his lower torso, a result of him getting too confident with being able to take down a peggie with his bare hands who _surprise, surprise! _Had a butcher knife on him...

Above that, the crudely tattooed 'WRATH' on his chest was a good reminder of why he fought for the people of Hope County. So that no one else would have to go through what Eden's Gate put him through anymore. And he had been doing very well on that up until recently.

They were all _very_ painful experiences but they far from broke him. No, it'd take much more than a shitty tattoo job, a couple of bullets, one or two knife wounds and conditioning to break Nathan.

_Or would it?_

Nathan hadn't exactly been in the best state of mind ever since all of that happened. Though he did try to hide it, he was extremely paranoid and constantly on edge. It's why he always carried more than one weapon with him, and why he could barely seem to get a full night's rest most days. He always woke up from some nightmare of wolves chasing him while _that_ song played. He never told anyone about it, because Nathan felt he had to be the one to deal with it. _They are MY dreams after all..._

_Only You..._ Nathan often wondered if it was that specific version of the song that triggered the conditioning. He tried whistling it several times, though he was far away from people when he did so. Nothing ever happened except for a mild headache and same thing would happen (or not happen) when he tried singing it.

It wasn't healthy, all of this paranoia he lived in, but he couldn't do anything about it, not yet at least.

_Accept it and make the best out of what little good things you have left in life Nate, specifically her..._ _Yeah_, Nathan could do that.

He stepped out of the bathroom and walked back in to the room where he saw Faith was still rummaging around in her backpack. He briefly looked out the window and could see the dark clouds were blocking out the sunlight now. That meant rain sometime soon. He turned back to Faith who looked quite exasperated as she continued fishing around her pack. He was about to ask her if she needed help until she pulled out a bottle of water, _probably what she's looking for_. She stared at it for a few moments before looking at Nathan with slight worry in her eyes.

"There's uh... There's only two left..." The tone in her voice only fueled the growing sense of uncertainty Nathan had. _I could've sworn we had more. _He really wasn't too concerned on water though, thankfully there were functional sinks so they wouldn't die of thirst. Hunger... that was a totally different thing.

"And what about food? How are we on that?" Of course supplies weren't going to last forever. They had been eating what they had packed since the beginning of their trek, and that was quite a while ago. They only resupplied once in the bunker, though it wasn't with much. Everything they ate at the Sawyer Residence had been from whatever was there initially, and because of that they never bothered to restock for themselves.

Faith looked back down at the small amount of food they had left, food that she knew would not last them through the week. "I don't think it'll last us, even if we save as much as we can..." Faith said as she closed the pack.

_How did we not notice this, no we definitely DID, we just couldn't do anything about it_.

Quickly opening his backpack he looked inside to see if he had anything of his own. Moving around his clothes he saw nothing aside from a small pack of gum, a granola bar, another half empty water bottle and a pack of dry meat. He had nothing to hold them on for more than a day.

He glanced at the discarded rifle next to the bed, completely out of ammo. Nathan knew hunting was out of the question, mainly because edible animals were either much stronger or faster than he and his hands were. He also didn't see himself beating a deer to death with the rifle either, at least not with it running away or trampling him to death. Ammo could've been a real life saver now.

His handgun wasn't any better, with only five bullets left and the extra two magazines he had left behind in the Sawyer Residence. Had his leg not been borderline useless he would've already sprinted his way back to there and picked up what they needed.

Nathan knew he had to keep calm, this wasn't the first time he was caught defenseless. Several times throughout his mission to liberate the county had his gun jammed in the middle of a fight or he would run out of ammo. _Of course, back then I had at least another weapon, and plenty of backup_.

Except this wasn't just about defense anymore_,_ they needed _food_ and they needed it fast.

He had been so deep in thought he hadn't noticed Faith had been calling him. He jumped slightly when she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Nathan?" The concern in her voice was still there, except it wasn't because of the food.

"Huh?..." Nathan loked down at her, a bit lost in her blue eyes. Eyes that filled with worry.

"What's wrong? You're a bit jumpy." The worry in her voice was doing wonders to Nathan's stress.

_Everything is wrong, and there's NOTHING I can do about it! _Nathan internally shouted, but only shook his head at her.

They were literally at rock bottom now. They had scraps to feed themselves with and expected only five bullets to protect them. _Of course, I had been to busy sleeping all the damn time to even notice shit, and now here we are._

Nathan had to think of something, and quickly.

"Okay, so we're gonna have to do what we've been doing since we began our escape. Eat only what we need and _definitely _save for later. There is several sinks so water isn't an issue, I'll uh... I'll see if I can find a deer or something tomorrow." Nathan didn't have _any _confidence he'd do so but whatever, he'd try. He could go fishing though there weren't any lakes nearby sadly. Raid a home? No, he was above stealing, and he was also apologizing to Adelaide for indirectly helping destroy what he could only assume, was property she wanted to sell. Gas stations either didn't have anything because the cult or stragglers took it all, or they had supplies but only for Resistance soldiers.

Nathan knew all of those ideas were idiotic, but he was desperate! He sat back down on the bed and looked up at Faith.

"If you haven't eaten anything yet, I suggest you do so, I know I am." He was genuinely starving, one or two bites off a chunk of dry meat a day definitely wasn't helping him. He offered some food and a water bottle to her, which she declined.

"I'm not hungry, I ate before you woke up." That was a lie, Faith hadn't eaten anything today. He didn't need to know that though, right now it was important that _he_ ate before he collapsed or something. After all he did to ensure she ate enough, she knew she could last for a while.

Nathan stared at her for a few seconds, not really sure if he believed her. After a second or two he shrugged and placed the items down and continued eating. The cookies he was eating were chewy and stale, he forgot to seal them properly. That and they were old... He really didn't care, he was far too hungry to even think about that. There were two left, he decided he'd eat them now and not later as the taste wouldn't be great then.

Faith felt this was mainly her fault. Nathan hadn't exactly eaten much, at least not as much as she did. He _always_ placed her well being above his own and while she was extremely grateful he did so, Nathan always seemed to take the worst of it. He never ate anything completely and either offered it to her, or he stuffed it back with the rest of their supplies.

Now, they hadn't exactly had much in the way of supplies since they escaped the Jailhouse, and always ate in moderation. They got breaks, like at the bunker and at the house they took shelter in where they got to eat full meals without fear of dwindling what they had. They regrettably never bothered to take anything substancial from those places.

More than anything, she felt like a burden on him. Unnecessary weight that he had no need to carry around, much less at his own risk. She wouldn't blame him if he began to have second thoughts about all of this. _What have I ever done for him? _Help him with his wound? He had done _much _more than that for her. _Ease his mind by dancing with him? _Faith knew that had a minimal effect on him, because over the course of the next few days since, he was back to his quiet, gloomy self. Everything she had done for him was incomparable to all he did for her.

Faith wanted to do her part to help, to carry the burden instead of being it, but she didn't exactly know how. It was important that she learned, because it wouldn't be long till she had to step up for both of them, wether or not Nathan was okay with it.

.

Nathan soon finished eating and looked at the clock. _Three in the afternoon already? I know more than likely shouldn't, but I probably need to go back to sleep._

Nathan didn't want to but he knew he'd have to in order to ignore any future hunger. As long as Faith ate "enough", that did it for him. He was resilient, be could certainly last without doing so, but she couldn't.

"It's important to eat, obviously, but for the meanwhile we're going to have to cut back." Nathan felt he was just repeating himself at this point but regardless it was important they did so.

Faith nodded, she understood perfectly. She raised an eyebrow as Nathan drank some more painkillers. Faith frowned at the amount but kept quiet, the last thing she wanted to do was argue with him

Nathan laid down on the bed and closed his eyes

"Back to sleep? It's barely been two hours since you woke up!" Faith was surprised, she had expected him to stay awake at least a few more hours.

Nathan smiled and opened his eyes only slightly.

"Hey, it's better than being awake for two minutes! That's for sure a record ain't it?" He had a feeling she knew _why _he was sleeping so early. He yawned and turned to his side.

"Mind keeping first watch? _Don't tell anyone!' _He joked.

With a "Sure", Faith left the room. He_ deserves the break, after all he's done. It's good for him, keeps his mind off our problems. _It was only fair.

Stepping outside Faith saw it had begun raining already, bringing in a cool gust of wind and rain. The sounds of it hitting the roof of the clinc were so relaxing to her.

It seemed like Holland Valley was not the temporary escape from troubles they had hoped it was sadly. Though they might've fared much worse had they gone to the Whitetails as soon as possible.

Faith hoped it wouldn't take long before things began to look up again, but she knew she was asking for too much. With Nathan in the state he was and the lack of resources, she knew it wouldn't get any easier anytime soon...

**AN: Next chapter's going back to our other characters, mainly Jess.**


	15. Uncertainty

Jess had gotten word from Pastor Jerome that he was back in town and was on her way to meet up with him. Jess would bet one hundred dollars that his talk with the Whitetails didn't go as he had hoped. The Militia wouldn't double down so easily, and it seemed like they had definitely made up their minds.

_No other reason he's back here so soon, Tammy is a real stubborn bitch..._

She contemplated tying up the deer she had just killed to the back of her ATV but knew it wouldn't fit. It was a shame too because that was one big deer, could get her a nice amount of cash. _Whatever, don't really need money right now..._ And even if she did, Hope County sure as hell wasn't running out of those little critters anytime soon.

"Maybe some bear will eat you or something..." Jess felt stupid for talking to the corpse

The drive to Fall End was a quiet, and oddly strange one for Jess. No peggie on the side of the road waiting to ambush someone and no Nathan to warn her about speeding. No longer hearing his condescending tone as he lectured her about how _"Disobeying the law makes us no better than the cult, so slow down!"_ would seem like a relief (and it kinda was), but she sort of missed it..

Even his totally boring quote on quote "facts" about music artists she had never even heard of Jess found herself missing. _Now who's gonna tell me things like "Blind Willie Johnson died blind, homeless and penniless" or how " The day these three artists died was considered the day music died". Y'know, pointless shit like that._

As much as he was musically inclined, he didn't know crap about what good movies were. He had seriously never seen any of the Blood Dragon movies, what giant rock did he live under?

The radio on her ATV was playing a very familiar song. It was of a man angrily stuttering and talking about "his generation", one of Nathan's favorites. She soon found herself singing along to it, thanking whatever God there was that he wasn't here to hear her.

She was reaching the convenience store right next to intersection that lead to the town. Back when she was younger this was her go-to spot to steal whatever the fuck she wanted. The owner was half blind and had never installed cameras.

_Good times..._

Jess had the strong urge to turn right and go the Whitetails and to the Militia herself to talk to Tammy and that kid Wheaty. Maybe she'd have a better chance with the Militia than Jerome, if only because she knew them longer. Or she could just get the same result but she knew the soldiers held a little more respect for her.

But she knew finding Nathan was more important to her right now, she'd talk to them later. So left it was.

The town of Falls End wasn't in Jess's list of favorite places, she never understood Nathan's fondness of it either, but they had cheap beer so it was alright. Pulling up outside the entrance of the church she walked in and saw Nathan's other friends inside. Boomer was here too, and that got her wondering where Peaches or even that bear of his, Cheeseburger, were. If she had to guess Peaches was back at her taxidermy and Cheeseburger probably at the F.A.N.G Center. It was for the best though, people here would consider them too dangerous to be around the town.

_Bullshit, Peaches is the sweetest, most badass cat ever. As long as you feed her, dunno about the bear..._

She took a seat on the pew next to Grace who was currently too preoccupied asking Boomer who was a good boy to notice her. Surprised to see her here after her declaration at the pizzeria, Jess figured she'd strike up a conversation, see what made her change her mind.

"Thought you wouldn't be helping Nathan out anymore?"

Grace looked at Jess and took a deep breath. "I realized that I may have been wrong regarding the Deputy. It wasn't fair for him that everyone turned their backs on him for trying to do the right thing."

Jess could argue that he definitely wasn't doing the right thing by keeping Faith alive. "I wouldn't say it's the right thing..."

"Maybe not for us, but to the law, or him, it is. The only reason he ever even set foot on the county was because the Sheriff's department were here to arrest Joseph, and eventually his family too. Even after everything that they put him through, I'm not entirely sure he was only out to kill them."

_That_, Jess found herself agreeing on. Although his attitude regarding peggies became more aggressive the more he hung around the Whitetail Mountains, Nathan never expressed any real intent on killing the Heralds themselves. Of course everyone assumed he was, and in the end he did (mostly) though not entirely by choice. He told her he killed John and Jacob because those lunatics were shooting at him first. Provocation on their end caused their well deserved deaths.

"So you think that's the only reason he kept her alive? To lock her up?" It was obvious that was answer but when Nathan told her that she was furious.

Grace nodded. "It was clear he wasn't letting her walk free back then, who knows about now."

"Pastor Jerome told me you're set on ending her life. I assume you know the Deputy more than likely won't let that slide."

"I know..."

"Then you should consider some other approach to what you are planning. The last thing any of us want is him becoming irreversibly hostile." Grace turned her attention back to Boomer who was looking at her expectantly. She began petting him and left Jess to think on what she told her.

Jess knew Nathan wasn't stupid enough to go to war with the Resistance by himself. Sure, he might've killed people here and there since his escape but it had to mostly be in self defense.

If Nathan wasn't gonna let any harm come to Faith, then the only other viable option to get him out of this mess was to incarcerate her, but Jess thought that sounded like the stupidest thing ever. The last thing she or anyone wanted was a Seed to live after what they did.

Okay, so maybe an arrow to Faith's neck would not be the best immediate option but she figured she'd deal with the issue when the time came. She was out to find Nathan, killing Faith would be the reward for all her hard work.

"So you're here to give him one more chance, and y'know help find him?" Jess asked Grace. Nodding her head, Grace turned to look at her.

"Yes. It's the least he deserves, for everything he's done. Not just for me, but for everyone..."

Jess nodded in agreement and turned to see the two walking hazards talking Nick's ear off. She didn't understand why and how Nathan befriended Hurk and Sharky, those two had a reputation for constantly fucking up. A reputation they (mainly Sharky) built since highschool. The secondhand embarrassment of having Boshaw empty his guts all over her friends lap was something Jess wouldn't be forgetting anytime soon.

"What're those two doing here? We really don't need fuck up one and two!"

"Calm down Jess, they're good people. They are willing to help the deputy in his time of need, and you know not many others are" Grace told her. Jess laughed and looked at her with a small grin

"Good people? You only say that because both look up to you don't you?"

"Maybe, still nice to have people who admire my marksman skills, but they've also been long enough with Nathan. Maybe not as much as you, but longer than I have. They obviously respect him and are trying their best to help him, remember not a lot of people are willing to do that..."

Jess couldn't argue with that. While mostly just bumbling idiots, they were somewhat useful, and useful was stretching it in her opinion. That rocket launcher Drubman strutted around with had saved their necks more than once and Sharky's flamethrower was great at torching peggies. Okay, so maybe it was their weapons that were useful but to Jess they themselves worked perfectly as perfect punching bags for her jokes, most of which Nathan did his best not to laugh at.

She began to wonder where Jerome was, he should've been the first one here actually...

"Wonder where the Pastor is, should be the first one here. This is his place after all."

"He told me he was going to go talk to Mary May about something, didn't specify what but he looked troubled."

Mary May... She and Jerome were Falls End's unofficial leadership. She also owned the Spread Eagle bar and Jess knew she had a very obvious thing for Nathan. Thankfully, ol' Deputy Rook knew to keep his head clear and not slack off. The last thing anyone needed was him knocking up a girl in the middle of a war. Regardless she was also a very vocal defender of Nathan, so in Jess's humble opinion, she was alright. Plus her beer beat the piss flavored ones Jess found randomly while traveling.

"Well I hope he gets here soon, getting real tired of Drubman's voice..."

.

"So you think Nate's gonna want to y'know, join back in the Resistance?" Hurk asked. He missed his friend and was wondering when they could officially start Hurk's Gate like they talked about.

Nick shrugged his shoulders, he wasn't really sure if Nathan would even want to. "I have no idea man, people out here know how to hold a grudge. First thing we gotta do is calm everyone else in Hope County down."

Nick had flown several times over the Valley and even a bit beyond that but he never caught glimpse of either Nathan or Faith.

"Yeah Hurky, everyone in the Henbane is still pretty pissed at him. Cause he kept Faith safe, and everyone wants her dead and yadda yadda..." All on Sharky's mind was that once Nathan was found, then maybe they could start that music group like he promised, with Faith being the lead singer.

"What's auntie Drubman think of all this?" He asked Hurk.

"She was confused and angry man, mostly at Nate but also because of how the people reacted. Should've heard her cussing up a storm would've made all the fights with my dad seem like child's play!" Hurk and Xander had to work together to calm Adelaide down that day. Hurk still disliked her boy toy anyway...

"Kim's up in arms too. She wants Carmina to see her godfather again... Who knew she had such strength though." He was referring to when he had told her he was going to go looking for Nathan around the valley. Kim had practically shoved him headfirst into the pilot seat of his plane, ordering him to go and find whatever trace of the Deputy he could.

Pastor Jerome soon walked in looking both exasperated and concerned. He greeted everyone inside and began by talking about what had happened at the Whitetail Mountains.

"So it seems the soldiers at the Whitetails aren't changing their minds anytime soon. Seems like everything The Deputy wasn't enough to earn their trust..."

"Tammy and her little group of soldiers aren't known to give up easily." Jess muttered. Now, she didn't exactly know Eli very well but she knew what he taught his soldiers, what he taught Tammy. After what happened with Nathan it seems like it all went to waste.

"No but neither are we. Jess I'm guessing you haven't found any trace of the deputy?"

"The shootout that happened recently is the only thing I got. Might not even be him, peggie activity has been increasing in the area." It seemed like even Eden's Gate was aware that Nathan left the Resistance and were getting bolder because of it.

"Joseph's looking to reclaim whatever he can, and we can't let him, we've come this far already..."

"You guys think he knows that Nathan didn't end up blowing Faith's brains out? He might begin searching for them too." Sharky's question left them wondering. _Did Joseph know Faith was still alive? _It made sense, everyone else in the county knew.

What if the recent attacks were attempts at finding her?

"Highly unlikely, and even if he did I'm not sure Joseph has enough manpower to search for them. Wether he admits it to his people or not, Joseph is against a wall. Eventually the last of his Chosen will be brought down and his men killed." Grace responded, not sounding too sure. If Joseph was looking for her, it'd have to be because of her knowledge of.the Bliss. They would use it again to "recruit" new members.

"Yeah and without the Bliss or anything else, he's technically done for!" Sharky exclaimed, high-fiving Hurk.

"I'm not sure Joseph should be underestimated Sharky, he's certainly resourceful." Grace warned, like it or not Joseph still had some influence in the county.

Jerome cleared his throat to get everyone's attention to the topic at hand. "Anyways that's besides the point and about the shootout. It wasn't cultists, it was actually a Falls End local, Charles Ford. Him and his group were apparently fighting someone over at the old Sawyer Residence and they were killed..." According to Mary May the bodies were recovered and buried a few days ago. _May you find the peace you longed for up there Charles..._

"That doesn't mean it was Nathan though, could've been some peggies that managed to hide out in the old home." Jess saw it as a possible waste of time. If it wasn't Nathan then that was another day or two that gave him a chance to get out of the Valley undetected.

"The Cult isn't exactly known for quiet is it? It wouldn't hurt to check the nearby area." Grace asked her, not really understanding her dismissive attitude towards searching the area.

"It's not, but if Joseph and his people are getting desperate, then quiet is something they will have to bring into the mix to survive." Jess continued.

"Still, we should check it out, we could be wrong and it was Nathan that killed those men." Nick spoke up, he was anxious to get back out there.

Everyone seemed to agree. Jerome looked at Jess and asked "Are you going back to your search?"

"I figured I'd go talk to Tammy and the gang up at thr mountains. I figured I may have a bit more luck in talking to them..."

"I'm not sure you will, they are definitely set on their plans"

"Yeah well I've got to try. What about you, weren't you going to the Henbane or something?"

"I'm staying in town a few days, see how things develop. If nothing turns up in the coming days then I'll make my way to the Sheriff and talk to him." Hopefully the Henbane would be a much easier task, though that was the area Faith had done all her damage so most likely it wouldn't.

"When you do, call me. I need to talk to one of the "leaders" there." Jess wanted to talk to Tracey about Faith's past.

"Mind telling me which? Is it one of the deputies or someone else?" Jerome asked. Jess figured it'd do no harm to tell him, he didn't know of the friendship Tracey and Faith had anyways.

"It's Tracey from the jailhouse, I need to talk to her about someone she knew..."

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you're not telling me?" His curiosity would sadly not get him the answers he was looking for.

"It's not about Nathan or anything, I just need to talk to her." Jess lied, not wanting to draw another lecture from him. Jerome nodded at her, though he wasn't convinced.

"Alright, I'll notify you when I'll be departing. For now I must go back to Mary May and discuss what happened at the Sawyer residence to the townfolk. If it was Nathan, then things are going to get even more complicated if the people find out."

"So you're gonna tell them if it was?" Jess was curious as to how the people would react. _Maybe they'll pick up their pitchforks again?_

"Can't see myself lying to them Jess, hiding the truth is never the right thing to do" Telling them would only further ruin the Deputy's reputation but hopefully it turned out it wasn't him.

"Well you do that, I'm taking a detour over to Whitetails. Catch you later..."

"Godspeed Jess..." Jerome made his way out in the direction of the bar, leaving Jess alone inside the church

She stepped outside and was about to get on her ATV when she heard Grace call at her

"Jess wait!"

Jess turned around to see her standing next to her vehicle. _What does she need? _"Yeah, what is it?"

"I feel like it needs to be asked, are you truly going to go through with your plan when you finally meet up with Nathan again?"

"What's it matter? Isn't it obvious?" Grace had to know Faith wasn't making out of this alive right?

"It matters because if you decide to go through with your plan and kill Faith, then you know it's over. Whatever we had with Nathan, whatever_ you _had with Nathan will be completely destroyed." Grace reminded her. If Jess were to kill Faith, Nathan wouldn't take kindly to it, that much was obvious.

Jess remained silent, allowing Grace to finish.

"I suggest you find it in you to put your anger for the cult aside for your friend... I learned to do so, but I understand you're a different story. If you do go about ending her life, then whatever the consequences may be, you'll have to face them..."

And with that Grace walked off with Boomer hot on her heels leaving Jess feeling more conflicted than ever.

Breaking the friendship she had built with Nathan wasn't something she wanted, but keeping Faith alive was absolutely out of the question. Maybe Jess could convince him to get rid of her? Would it even work? She had to try and make him understand that if Faith was free it would be a matter of time before the cult would be rebuilt. She certainly did something right back then when she managed to convince people over at the Henbane to turn over their property to her, Bliss or not. It'd be easy for her to recruit members for Joseph again...

If maybe she could convince that keeping Faith alive wasn't worth it, then Jess could end her right then and there, without Nate's interference. _But how?_

Jess would have to think on it, but not right now. Right now she had a Militia to talk to, and eventually learn a bit more about Faith, if Tracey was willing to tell. She figured she would, it'd be beneficial for the both of them as both wanted that whore dead. Something she could learn about Faith to use to her advantage or as leverage would be much appreciated...

_That'll have to wait, right now I got an insufferable bitch to talk to. _

Hopefully she'd get something out of Tammy and the Militia, if not then whatever. While Jess didn't really like Tracey at all, she was the only person who knew a lot about Faith. Things that maybe The Father and Nathan didn't know.

It all had to happen before Nathan crossed his way to the Whitetail Mountains, or would it? Jess knew that area like the back of her hand. It'd be a lot more easier to find them there than in any other place but still, Jess knew to be patient. She could, and would, wait.

**AN****: So for the next one, I figured it's time for Nathan to cross paths with one of his old Guns For Hire. They'll be a bigger part of the story from now on. It won't be Jess though, not yet at least.**


	16. Second Chances

The Hope County clinic was quickly becoming one of Nathan's least favorite places. Not only because of the monotony of being there for so long, and the unpleasant memories of having his tattoo injury treated but because the more they stayed there the more he realized how bad things had gotten. Sleeping the hunger away could only do so much before he caved in and fished out whatever leftovers he could find, not wanting to waste perfectly edible food, and eat. He never ate more than what he needed and always saved the bigger portions for Faith.

With less than a full clip in his pistol, trying to hunt anything would be pointless. Anything the size of a deer or bigger didn't go down with a few measly shots from a .45. When he searched around the clinic for any weapons he found nothing sadly. He could try to fight enemies with a scalpel see how that turned out.

There was a silver lining to all of this though, his leg had completely healed. He no longer had to walk like he was in his seventies and could actually run! It was small silver silver lining because the only thing his healed leg would be useful for was that: running.

With the truck nearly out of gas and the car in the garage next to the clinic missing its' keys, it seemed like they'd have to go back to walking once they resumed their travel. Great more walking...

Everyday his goal of leaving Hope County seemed to stray farther and farther away leaving him to wonder what they were going to do in case their plan went south...

Nearly two weeks of being stuck in the clinic and the days seemed to literally go down the drain. It was funny how time slipped away so slowly. One of the downsides to time being so slow was that the door into summer wasn't closing anytime soon, it was quite literally the middle of the season. Thankfully the unforgiving heat of the summer was something Nathan had grown accustomed to. He didn't like it, but he was used to it. He couldn't wait for fall to get here though, if he was still alive by then of course.

Sunset was still a few hours away so that meant another four to five hours of burning sunlight.

"Don't even know why I'm complaining, I chose to be out here." He wanted the fresh air that only the outdoors could provide so here he was in the entrance to the clinic and to also get a good view of the driveway. No cars that passed through the road ever entered the driveway thankfully, but even if they did he could just hide until they left.

The sounds of the woods were rather calming. The leaves and bushes rustling under the wind, the birds chirping up above and the cry of a rifle going off far away. Trying times like these really made him appreciated the smaller things in life. Despite everything Eden's Gate did to the county, it sure as hell couldn't ruin its' beauty.

The absence of immediate danger made things seem rather peaceful, almost... normal.

"Enjoying yourself?" Her voice always had this calming effect on him. It was soft and oh so beautiful, he could see how people were so quick to listen to her without any need for Bliss.

"Just about the only way I can, care to join me?" The small bench he was seated in was enough for the both of them to fit in.

"Your leg has completely healed right? That's very good. I guess you won't be walking like an old man anymore huh?" She laughed.

Nathan raised an eyebrow and smiled brightly. "Never heard you try to crack a joke, and at my own expense? I'm impressed."

"And to answer your question, yes. I don't feel the injury anymore and the wound healed nicely, downside is it left a big scar." _That was the... fourth one right?_ He didn't see how some people found scars impressive, he saw his own just as reminders of his sometimes near fatal mistakes.

"Well thankfully that's all it left and not permanent damage. Have you eaten anything yet?" Faith was worried for him. Nathan hardly ever ate anymore, leaving most of the food to her. She tried to convince him to eat several times, but each time he would turn her down, saying it was important to conserve.

"You know the answer to that question, it's fine Faith. A little hunger won't kill me." Nathan was sure of that. After the borderline starvation he was put through with Jacob, a day or two without eating wouldn't do him harm.

Faith didn't let it go yet. "You don't have a lot of energy to do much Nathan, imagine when we go back to our trek, you'll keel over in no time." Just please listen to me Nathan.

"I'd argue that neither would you, but I'm not. If it means this much to you, I'll eat something later." It wasn't much, but it was initiative and Faith could take that.

In the time they spent on the run, Faith quickly realized how much she took things for granted. Eden's Gate had given her everything she ever needed. Food? She had it with her own personal chef and all, Protection? If its name wasn't Nathan Archland Rook then it wasn't getting anywhere near her without her people having a say on it, A loving family? She had it in spades. Of course it all was swept away in the blink of an eye by the only person she had left now which brought her to her next question.

"It's better than nothing I guess but enough about that, I do need to ask you something else." This had been really bothering her for the longest while.

"Sure what is it?"

"I was wondering what our you know, relationship was? Are we dating or is it something else?" She was curious as to where exactly they stood.

Nathan seemed pensive and stood silent for a few seconds. It seemed that not even he was sure of what exactly they had going on. "Well, I'm gonna assume we are dating aren't we? I mean I didn't really expect to find someone in this whole mess with Eden's Gate and everything, plus everything that happened with the Resistance. So I'm not sure."

Even friendships were something Nathan wasn't expecting to find but those were kind of trivial when compared to romantic relationship with someone he once considered an enemy.

"It doesn't matter what we brand what we have as, As long as you know that I love you then all that other stuff shouldn't matter."

Faith swore he always knew the right things to say. "I love you too Nathan..."

She leaned close and kissed him with him gladly returning the kiss. Faith felt she could stay in his embrace forever.

Eventually they pulled away and continued enjoying the outside and each other's company for several more hours.

Faith yawned, she grabbed Nathan's wrist to check the time on his watch. It's seven thirty already? And why am I so tired, I slept well last night.

"Tired? You should go to bed if you want to I'll wake you later to eat something." They both stood up and walked over to the room. Faith laid down on the bed and closed her eyes.

Faith quickly fell back to sleep, leaving Nathan alone for the time being. He looked down at their linked hands and noticed the tattoo in her arm. He frowned as he read the symbol written in black ink. He knew very well what it was, though he had never used the substance himself. Wether it was a pleasant or unpleasant reminder for her only she knew.

With nothing else to do he figured he'd go outside again.

An approaching vehicle put him on high alert. He prayed it just sped on by but sadly it sounded like it was slowing down awfully close to the clinic. In what he could only assume was a big "fuck you" from life, the car stopped right outside the entrance.

Had the doctors returned from wherever they went? We'll they were sure as hell gone for a long time!

Did the Resistance find them? He prayed to God they hadn't.

Or maybe, just maybe, someone was injured and needed help? Regardless, he didn't want to take his chances with any of the possibilities so Nathan wasted no time pulling out his gun from its holster.

He knew if it were more than one person, he was probably as good as dead. _Five bullets, I better make them count..._

God, thankfully, seemed to have listened to his prayers because he heard only heard one voice coming near the entrance. He quietly made his way over to the front and hid behind the doorway. The voice was nearing closer and closer, allowing Nathan to hear it clearer.

It sounded very familiar but he couldn't quite place it. Nathan pressed himself closer, tightly gripping the gun. The voice grew louder and suddenly it clicked!

He nearly let out a groan as he realized just who the voice belonged to. _No fucking way_

"Sharky I'm telling you man, I gotta get myself checked. Lyme disease is a very serious disease man. It's better to be safe than sorry y'know? My daddy left me outside the house so long and because of that those fucking ticks were crawling everywhere!" Hurk Drubman Jr.'s voice complained to his radio. Nathan could also make out Sharky's voice coming from the other end of the channel, not only his voice but also obnoxiously loud disco music. He knew damn well what song he was playing, Sharky always listened to _Grease_ when they traveled together around the county.

Why couldn't it have been someone else? A peggie or something, not Hurk. He really wasn't ready to see any of his friends again, if ever.

"Well anyways, I'll talk to ya' later I gotta see if the doctors are home or not. Hurkules over and out." His footsteps were mere inches away. _Welp, got nothing else I can do..._

_Should I shoot off a warning shot to scare him off? No, he'll probably panic and blast me to bits with that RPG of his._

"Hey is anyone in there? Doc, nurses, anyone? I got this itch that's been killing me." Hurk shouted from a few steps away from the doorway.

It was inevitable that they see each other and plus even if he hid, Faith was still dead asleep in the other room.

Fuck it, might as well

Nathan placed his weapon back in his holster and slowly stepped outside to meet his friend. His presence startled Hurk as he jumped back in surprise and fell on his ass. Any other day and Nathan would've been laughing non stop but not now.

He quickly recovered and stood up just as fast, looking like he had seen a ghost. Shock quickly changed to excitement as he ogled at Nathan like he was some strange creature, making him feel more and more uncomfortable. "Nate! Holy hell man we've been looking for you! Where have you been?"

"Hey Hurk, I've uh... I've been around. What about you?" This felt incredibly awkward for Nathan at least, Hurk didn't seem uncomfortable at all though.

"Well you know I can't complain, been busy dating women and shit. Also fighting peggies and y'know the likes."

"Mhmm, so does anyone know you're here?" Nathan began to look around to see if anyone else was here with him. Thankfully he seemed to be alone today, usually he was accompanied by Sharky.

"I mean aside from Sharky no one else does, we should go see them man! Everybody at Falls End is waiting for ya'. Nick, Pastor Jerome, Grace and Jess man, c'mon!"

So they were looking for him, had he known this weeks ago he would've ran all the way back to the town, but not now.

"Why?"

"What do you mean why? Because we want to help, we feel terrible because of how everyone reacted to you keeping Faith alive. Speaking of which, where is she? I need to ask her something real quick."

"It doesn't matter where she is right now, Hurk you need to go back and pretend you never saw me okay? There's a lot at risk if people find out I'm out here." Nathan urged, not wanting to put himself and his friend in any danger.

"Why man? Don't worry about. I get it you're shy, I'll reintroduce ya back. Matter of fact I'll go tell em do-" Nathan didn't even give him the chance to finish what he was going to say. He forcefully grabbed Hurk by the collar of his shirt and pulled him close, his blue eyes staring intently at Hurk's shocked looking ones. Despite the age difference, Nathan somewhat towered over his older friend.

"Listen to me carefully Hurk, absolutely no one, and I do seriously mean no one, can know where the hell I am. If they are given even the slightest hint I'm as good as dead." He knew the minute word slipped out lf his location the Resistance would be here in no time, and not only that but wanted Faith dead more than anything. She'd kill her if they encountered each other. He didn't want to risk it.

"Calm down bro, Falls End ain't gonna kick ya' out! Pastor Jerome's been looking for you and he's willing to help you out, everyone is!" Hurk wasn't going to lie, he was a bit scared at Nathan's sudden change in attitude. His words of reassurance didn't do much for Nathan though.

"Under the condition I turn her in right?" Nathan wasn't stupid, this is what they wanted didn't they? _Nate turns her in exchange for his name cleared? Nah, it's not gonna work, I'm not that fucking naive_.

"No man, he said he's willing to help the both of y'all out. C'mon we should go to him!"

Nathan stared intently at Hurk, he didn't seem to be lying. If anything he looked scared out of his mind. A sudden feeling of guilt hit him. _What the fuck's wrong with me? He's trying to help and I fucking berate him, some friend I am..._

Sighing in defeat, he stepped back and let him go. "I'm sorry for that. It was out of line, I know. Didn't mean to go off on you" Nathan leaned back on the wall and closed his eyes slightly. He was feeling incredibly tired, probably because he hadn't eaten anything all day.

"So does that mean you're coming back?" Hurk asked, seemingly set on bringing him back. Nathan appreciated the effort, but it wasn't necessary. He wouldn't be going back.

"I can't Hurk. You said it yourself, only Falls End has forgiven me, not the rest of the county. What's the point of leaving this location just to go hide over there huh?" Nathan's grand plan of escaping the county was admittedly all over the place but it'd ensure that Faith would no longer be in danger as soon as they left. Hopefully, probably not though...

Staying in Falls End would only spell more trouble, despite Jerome's good intentions. His stomach began growling loudly, much to his embarrassment.

"Well for one you probably ain't gonna die of starvation over there..."

As much as Nathan hated to admit, Hurk did bring up a good point. If Nathan wasn't willing to let go of his paranoia and cave in, then he'd be knowingly starving Faith. He turned back to Hurk who was looking at him expectantly.

"Look just give me a few days to think about it, I have to weigh the pros and cons of this. In the meanwhile I need you to do me a favor."

"Yeah sure bro, what's up, what do you need me to do." Nathan admired his lack of hesitance to help him, despite his initial aggressiveness.

"Faith and I desperately need food, get me whatever you can but don't make it obvious alright? It's important that no one finds out you're doing this."

This would clear the food problem they were having, hopefully long enough for Nathan to think of something.

"I dunno man, it'd be better if you just came with."

"I can't Hurk, not yet at least... Can you do this for me or not?"

"Alright bro, I'll do it for ya'. It's gonna take a while though. So you're gonna have to hang on with what you have." Hurk's words were definitely giving Nathan a bit of hope and he felt a small wave of relief wash over him. _Good, I can still trust him..._

"Thanks man I appreciate, I really do. Okay before you leave let's make things clear, so to start we never had this conversation, and as far as everyone is concerned you are still looking for me alright?"

"Sure no problem, before I go I gotta real quick question and I've been dying to ask since this all shit began. Figured now's the perfect time to bring it up." Hurk suddenly looked nervous and began shuffling around much to Nathan's confusion.

"What is it?" I wonder where this is going?

"Is uh... Is you know, Faith still single? Asking for a friend of course"

Right, so that's it... Nathan was aware of the crush Hurk (and every other man in Hope County) had on Faith. Several times he asked Nathan not to kill her back when they were liberating the Henbane River.

It was kinda funny actually.

"No. She's got a boyfriend from what I've heard, sorry dude. Apparently he's like a real stand up guy too..." Nathan figured there was no harm in complementing himself. _She'd probably agree right? right_. Nathan assured himself.

"Aww man that's a real shame, some lucky guy huh?" _You don't know the half of it..._

"Yep, probably the luckiest man in the world." Nathan smiled, patting his friends arm. "You should get going, don't want to bring any attention to us or this place."

"Sure man, hey I promise not to tell anyone"

Let's pray you don't...

He briefly thought about what he would do if the wrong people found out where they were hiding. It wouldn't end well at all for him and Faith.

"I'll take your word..."

Hurk nodded and began walking over to his truck. "See you later Nate, I'll bring you whatever I can."

Nathan nodded and smiled at his friend. He gave a small wave and watched as he sped off into the night, it wouldn't be the last time they saw each other.

As soon as he was out of sight, Nathan's smile dropped and he entered back inside the clinic. What should have given him with a sense of hope only left a pit in his stomach. The reunion, although he did miss his old friend, only proved how easy it was to find them, how vulnerable their position was. What if it hadn't been Hurk? What if it had been Resistance soldiers or Eden's Gate cultists?

It could still very well be the Resistance next time but he had to trust Hurk to keep his mouth shut about what happened. He would probably still blabber to Sharky.

He saw Faith still fast asleep, apparently their loud voices hadn't woken her up. It was for the best, she needed to rest for a living while. Nathan left back outside to think about what had happened but, unbeknownst to him, Faith hadn't actually gone to sleep and had heard their entire conversation.

While it was nice that they probably wouldn't have to worry about food for a while, Faith understood Nathan's hesitance to completely accept his friends help. It wasn't only them that had harbored resentment. Nathan was more than likely still angry that they labeled him a traitor

The distrust became mutual between him and his old allies, obviously not the ones offering help but everyone else. His resentment and distrust of them was justified though, the Resistance ruined his life over a disagreement on what should have happened to her.

Question was, was it as justified as their distrust for him? After everything he had done to ensure their safety he ended up keeping her alive, the number one problem of the Henbane. It was understandable people were going to be upset, she had ruined their lives in what she and her family believed to be for the greater good. No such thing had been done to Nathan, he wasn't even from Hope County. He didn't exactly live through all of what its residents lived through so he didn't have the same perspective as them.

The fact that people who had been through the worse Eden's Gate had done were willing to help him despite what he did was not something he should be taking lightly. She had to make him understand that.

Standing up so quickly wasn't such a good idea, her vision went blurry and she felt nauseous. Gripping the bed for support she stayed still for a few seconds till the feeling went away. It was probably a sign that she should maybe eat something, but that could wait.

Walking outside she saw the sunset and Nathan seemingly admiring it, that or he was lost in thought. She snapped her fingers to confirm that he had infact lost himself in thought, seeing as how he jumping slightly at the noise and her sudden appearance.

"Hey I had just finished talking to-"

"I know, I heard everything..." Faith interrupted him, taking a seat next to him and resting her head on his shoulder. Nathan laughed nervously. "I thought you were still fast asleep" _And I hoped it too._

"That was your friend right? Hurk is his name?" It sounded very familiar to her. She heard one of the residents of the Henbane River mention him a lot when she would visit, back before the reaping began.

"Yeah, Hurk Drubman you might know his cousin, Sharky? Tall guy, green sweater, bit of a pyromaniac? Lived in a trailer in the Henbane area."

"Sharky?... Oh, you mean Victor! Yes, yes I do know him." Faith remembered the odd man who had a strange love for fire and music from the 1980's. Their talks usually consisted of what each other's favorite music was and her try to to ease him into joining Eden's Gate. He also gave her twenty dollars out of the blue one day, according to him it was just because he wanted to.

"Well, the one who was out there is his cousin, who is known for having a bit of a crush on you, among other things." Nathan teased, Hurk always made it obvious.

"Well from what I heard you made it clear to him I'm obviously not available."

"Yeah, it probably broke the poor guys heart to hear that."

"So I take it you heard everything me and Hurk were talking about." It wasn't a question, it was more of a confirmation to himself. "Well it's no surprise, neither me or him are known for our subtlety or keeping our voices down."

"Why don't you want to go back with your friends?" Faith ignored his joke, it was important that they talked about what happened. Immediately Nathan's smile fell and he had a conflicted look on his face.

"Isn't it obvious why? If we go nothing can guarantee your safety. I'm not going to risk it." Nathan responded, not really sure as to why she was asking the obvious. "Hurk's bringing me supplies to last us some time, so we don't need to ever go to them."

Faith knew that wasn't it, there had to be another reason as to why he wasn't rushing to their aid.

"You have been holding on to the hope that these people would forgive you for the longest time, since we ran away actually, and now that some of them have, you push them away?" Here was his chance to reclaim his old life.

"I'm not pushing anyone away. If they want to help then they can do so by staying away. Someone from the Resistance can find out and they'll he putting their lives in danger." Nathan was well aware of the risk Jerome and everyone else who apparently wanted to help him was taking. "The rest of the people in this county still want us dead..."

With how paranoid he had become, Faith understood his concerns. _Wait that's it!_ She was right, it was his paranoia that was holding him back!

"You don't trust them anymore do you?" Faith tested him, she wanted to hear his response.

"Well after all these people have put me through I'm not exactly jumping at the chance to run to them for safety."He responded.

_There it is. It seems like I was right, now that distrust they had for him has become mutual._

"They are your friends aren't they, I'm sure they care about you enough to want to help you."

"Right, my friends. Because them turning their backs on me and labeling me a traitor is totally what a friend does." Maybe he was exaggerating but Nathan didn't exactly care at this point.

"Don't you think they did it because they were scared? or maybe surprised that you saved me of all people?"

"You aren't the first cultist I ever saved, I had been asked to help several fleeing peggies and I did. All of this aside you don't think I have any right to be angry? They completely screwed me over!" Nathan showed no signs of stopping. "And scared of what? That I'd start preaching the word of Joseph and begin murdering people left and right? If John's cleansing, Jacob's conditioning and your Bliss couldn't convert me what would make them think you by yourself would"

"Oh, I know it was the fact that they think you've seduced me into following you and turning on them. Imagine if they see how close we are now, it'd basically confirm their suspicions."

Nathan was genuinely angry. _Not just angry, I'm fucking pissed. Why now huh? Why after so long do they now want to help me out? They fucking turned on me when I spared her, didn't give me a chance to explain myself and NOW they come to my aid._

Still, he had to calm down. He shouldn't be getting angry at her.

"Look my hesitance isn't out of spite believe me, This is more about your safety than anything else. Who knows if maybe one or two of the folks there don't agree and end up putting one between my eyes. Either they'd kill you immediately as well or you'd be left at the mercy of them." Like hell was he risking that happening and this didn't seem too far fetched to him. It was very clear that the entirety of the Valley hadn't been tamed yet, the men that attacked them at the Sawyer Residence being a prime example.

"Alright, just give it some thought okay? This isn't an opportunity you want to let go of."

Nathan stayed silent for about a minute or two not sure on wether or not to think on it. She had a point, as much as this could be the end for the both of them it could also be their only ticket out of hiding.

"I don't know... I'll think about it." He didn't know how much time he had to think of an answer. Days, weeks or even months? As much as the others could wait probably.

"I know it seems like a big risk, but if it pays off you'll no longer have to keep hiding." Her reassurance did little to convince Nathan, but once again she was right.

"Are _you _fine with me taking this risk?" The question was one Faith had the answer to.

"This could potentially be the starting point to fixing your reputation and changing the people's rather aggressive reception of you." _It's also the only chance you have to reclaim your old life..._

"My reputation... I'm _far _more concerned with how they'll react to you." Nathan honestly expected the worst. What if they offered to end this manhunt at the cost of turning her over? He wouldn't and couldn't do that. So would that mean that they would kill them both? _Probably..._

"Let's pray for the best shall we?" She simply responded. How she could act so nonchalantly and be on board with this with both of them knowing she was at a _way _bigger risk than him was odd.

They went back inside an hour later to eat. This time, under her very vigilant gaze, Nathan ate much more than he normally did, a heavy sense of guilt built as he did so. He didn't want to eat more than what he _thought _he needed but Faith wasn't having it.

After they were done, they walked down the hallway to the room when Nathan was stopped by Faith. She placed her lips on his and they kissed for longer than they ever had. They stared at each other lovingly. Nathan felt he could lose himself in her beautiful blue eyes.

Nathan knew right then and there he wanted her and he knew, by the look in her eye, the desire was mutual.

"We should head to the room..."

"Okay" She managed to squeak out, her voice sounded extremely flustered. Nathan caressed her face, his finger slowly trailing along her cheek. He was suddenly pressed against the wall by Faith who began to kiss him in his jawline. Her sudden initiative caught him off guard but he quickly recovered. He shuddered as she ran her fingers through his dark hair and down the back of his neck.

With her now raised leg supported by his arm, Nathan closed the gap between them and lifted her up. Faith wrapped her legs around Nathan's waist as he carried her over to the room with the two kissing intensely all the way.

Once there, Nathan laid her down on the bed and was quick to place his lips on hers, their tongues dancing in each other's mouths.

He pulled away from her kiss to begin unbuttoning his shirt. Faith helped him do so and she could see his toned chest, something she wasn't unfamiliar with but she certainly wasn't complaining.

Nathan tossed his shirt to the side and was about to begin unzipping the back of her dress when surprisingly, she pushed away.

"Wait!"

"What is it? Am I going to far?" Nathan wondered. He stared at her with a look of confusion and worry.

Faith noticed the genuine concern in his face and giggled shyly. "No, it's fine you've done nothing wrong, it's just... I've, well I've never done this before..." She couldn't stop herself from blushing brightly, something Nathan found both adorable and endearing.

Nathan smiled at her nervousness. "Oh, well it's okay. As long as this is something you want." Nathan would never force her to do this if she didn't feel comfortable. Faith's only response was a nod and her fingers dancing along the waistline of his jeans.

She sat up and turned her back towards him, lifting her hair so he could unzip her dress. Soon that was out of the way and she kicked it off to her side, leaving her completely nude.

"You are so beautiful..." Nathan whispered in her ear. His kissing soon trailed down from her lips to her neck, lightly biting at her skin. Faith let out a low sigh and smiled. Nathan raised his head back to meet her eyes. "I love you..."

"I love you too..."

Everything just felt so right for them. Their night of passion went on uninterrupted, both only hoping it would last forever...


	17. Lonely Scavengers

The bright sunlight of the early morning seeped through the partially opened curtains of the room, greatly irritating Nathan. He was about to get up and shut them completely but found himself unable to as something wasn't letting him get up completely

_Not exactly something, but rather someone..._

And that someone was Faith who was laying on top him with her body resting on his and her arms linked around his neck. He was reminded of the previous night's events and smiled. Gently he pried her arms off and stood to close the curtains before returning to lay down. Her soft snoring was the only thing breaking the silence of the clinic.

_If only I could wake up everyday like this and not in a cold sweat after vivid nightmares... _

Her yawning, which he found adorable, brought his attention back to her. Her laugh, her body, her personality, he loved everything about her. Being with her felt right and Nathan couldn't imagine him being happier anyway else.

Unfortunately, for all this talk and like a fist socking him square in the gut, Nathan was suddenly hit with his sense of morality which he hadn't had ever since he escaped with her from the Jailhouse.

He was sleeping with the enemy and that was very, very wrong.

_You're digging yourself in a deeper hole Nathan_... The little voice in his head warned. _Oh God, what the fuck, why now!?_ It didn't feel wrong to him before, so why the fuck now?

_Because you know if people find out, there'll be even worse hell to pay! _Nathan scoffed internally, _What the fuck do I care if people find out? They still want me dead..._

_She's Faith Seed you absolute fucking dumbass, you know damn well this is wrong on SO many levels_

_But she isn't MY enemy, she isn't a threat to me! _Nathan argued with himself. _I love her don't I? Of course I fucking do!_ There was no denying he did love her but the moral code left over from his time fighting with the Resistance were eating him inside.

"Nathan?" Her voice called, as smooth as silk. He felt her hand caress his cheek before sliding down to his jawline. Looking down at her he was caught off guard by her lips crashing against his.

Almost immediately any feelings of doubt were gone and replaced by the love he had for her. In the end he didn't care, he made his choice to be with her and his morals could go screw themselves. Still, he had a feeling they'd be nagging at him for a while...

"Hey, good morning how'd you sleep." Faith caught on to his coy smile and she quickly pecked his lips once more before responding

"Amazing." She winked at him, giggling at his blush.

"_Right__..._ well we should get dressed and get ready to potentially waste the day away..." _And avoid our food situation too_. Nathan excluded that part for the sake of seeing that smile on her face.

"Yeah we could do that, or we could go back to sleep for a little while." Nathan chuckled at her suggestion, it wasn't a bad idea actually

"Sure, I guess we could do that too..."

The world could wait a little longer couldn't it? Well regardless it would have to. Sadly it wouldn't be only Nathan who would be having his inner conflict for Faith would soon be met with one of her own and in that, nothing would wait...

_

"Seems like such a long travel just for a deputy position, at least to me." Faith mused. They had been talking for several hours since they woke once again at around midday.

Nathan laughed and shook his head "Nah, Nevada's only two states over; It was like an hour by plane."

He could never understand what exactly brought him to city of Virginia here in Montana. He always figured it was to distance himself from his parents and find his own path in life. Well he certainly found it, for better or worse...

"So was it just your job as a deputy that brought you over to this particular side of the state?"

"Yeah, the city ain't too far from Hope County and I did plan on coming here eventually, just under different less _hostile _reasons."

Before he became a deputy, Hope County had always been one of those "maybe next year" places for him. He had been interested in visiting but not just to arrest a crazy cultist leader. It was certainly an interesting place. The locals had a passionate love of firearms, a deep sense of patriotism and a damn annoying insistence on playing Narvel Felts's greatest hits or some other form of country at odd hours of the night.

He could never call this place home like everyone else though. Montana? sure but not Hope County, not after all that happened. He never fought "for his town" like all the others did, no he fought for the people themselves. _Of course that went real well in my favor didn't it__?_

"Well anyways I'll be right back, gotta go check up on something." He was of course referring to their dwindling supplies. He opened their bags and saw just minimal food.

It wouldn't last them more than a few days at this point...

Nathan felt he had to do something, _anything!, _to try and find them some supplies. His leg was in tip top shape already so he could go scavenge around the nearby areas. There was bound to be at the very least ammunition in some stashed away containers.

_I can't keep slacking off, I got to try and find supplies for her..._

He returned back to Faith who was now reading the patient records from the clinic's doctor.

"Where'd you get that?" He asked, wondering where exactly she found it.

"They were in the small office room next to the computer." She looked back down at the records until she found his name. "Nathan Archland Rook, age 25..." She went quiet as she continued to read everything, progressively showing signs of shock and regret. She placed the papers down and looked at him.

"I'm sorry, for what he did to you. Had I known I would have..." She trailed off once more. She would have what? Congratulated John in converting Nathan? or maybe she would've ignored it and went on like she did. She would've_ never _helped him!

"Don't worry about it, it's a thing of the past and it's best left there." He placed a kiss on the top of her head before stepping away from her with a serious look on his face. "I do need to tell you something, and that's that were quite literally on our last rations."

"So... I'm gonna go check around places near the clinic, see if I can find anything of use." Who knew when Hurk was coming back, it could potentially be more than a week from now and they didn't have that amount of time.

"Well, I'm coming with you." She stated as he knew she would. This was bound to spiral down into an argument he didn't feel like having.

"No you are most _definitely_ not. Look, I can't risk you getting hurt if we run into someone." It was futile, Nathan knew this wasn't going to work but he still had to try.

"So what do you expect me to do? Wait for you to get here, worried sick that you might not."

"I'll be fine, this ain't the first time I've been surviving off the bare minimum." It obviously wasn't, he wouldn't have lasted this long if it had.

_Of course, back then it was only me I had to worry about_...

"We're in this together aren't we? It's nothing we haven't done before remember?" She argued. Nathan felt she had a point, but he wasn't going to admit it out loud.

How long had they been on the run? _A month or two maybe? I don't fucking remember anymore..._

"The thing is back then we had plenty of supplies and ammo, same can't be said about now can it? Look, I'm just gonna scout around any nearby buildings. If I come across anyone I'll turn back the other way." Fighting wasn't in his list of priorities, especially with how cornered he was right now. Protecting Faith and staying alive himself was...

Sure he was still angry and untrusting of literally everyone in Hope County but he wasn't stupid enough to fight them head on, because unlike them he didn't immediately turn on his own. _Really? Charles Ford and the people at the McCallough's Garage ring any bells? _

_Well, _Nathan argued internally, _Charles really didn't give me much of a fucking choice..._ Unlike that, he didn't have any retort for what he did at the garage, no matter how he justified it.

"You won't, I know you won't. Just please let me come with you." She knew she couldn't watch his back like he needed her to mich less like his friends used to but she still needed to be with him.

"Even if I said no you'd still follow me. Fine." Nathan saw no point in continuing this argument, it would go nowhere. "We leave at sunset when Resistance activity is at a low."

Hopefully they would get something out of risking it out there once more.

_

Faith was mildly annoyed at Nathan's overprotective attitude. Since they left the clinic he insisted in walking ahead of her and hardly uttered a single word. She tried several times to break the ice by jokes. They weren't good but she gave it a try. They were all met by a "That isn't funny" from Nathan and a deepening frown from her.

Never mind she was actually annoyed now.

"I thought it was." She would respond, not liking his tone. _It's not like his were any good either. _

They cut through the driveway leading to the clinic and down to the train stop nearby. Faith really took notice of how different Nathan was acting now. He wasn't talking, wasn't smiling, his eyes were darting all over the place and his hands tightly gripped his weapon. It was like when they first began their escape. She wasn't exactly relaxed herself but the lack of activity in the past week or so didn't have her on edge as much as it did him.

Faith understood her insistence on being here with him did warrant the sudden change in attitude he had but his cold responses to her were unnecessary and a bit hurtful. She ignored it and chalked it up to his usual, unchanging, paranoid self that wouldn't drop the overprotective act until they were far away from the dangers Hope County brought.

As they walked by the small shack next to the train tracks Faith noticed a poster with Nathan's face. She looked back at Nathan who was already walking a bit ahead, too preoccupied in moving his gun left to right to notice her stop. Curiosity got the best of her and she approached the flyer. Tearing it off the nail it was stuck to, she began to read the small paragraph under his face.

Immediately she noticed that this wasn't a leftover from the ones Eden's Gate had issued long ago, it was lacking their emblem and red ink. This looked very recent and the main difference was that instead of "sinner" he was referred to as a "traitor" as well as a less than flattering description of herself.

_Traitor..._

Not only that but this was a call for redemption. _His _redemption... It stated that if he was willing to turn her in he'd be welcomed back to the Resistance.

_Make the right choice Deputy... _It read at the bottom. Their final offer, one that would change his life for the better once again...

Suddenly her panic kicked in. What if Nathan saw this and agreed? What if he suddenly disappeared one day and brought back his allies to kill her? It was wrong to think Nathan would ever do that, especially after all they shared together but she couldn't help it.

_Or maybe... _

She could do him a favor, the only way to repay the kindness and love he gave her unconditionally. She could turn herself in and clear his name for him. It was the least he deserved after all he did for her.

"Hey!" Her thoughts were interrupted by Nathan whispering loudly at her to get her attention. She turned to him and dropped the paper to her feet to avoid suspicion. He seemingly ignored the paper but didn't seem to be happy at her drifting away from him. _His fault for walking ahead... _He urged her near him.

"What were you doing back there?" He asked, Faith decided to keep quiet about the contents of the poster.

"I was just looking at your wanted poster, it was plastered on the wall of the shack." She jerked her thumb in the direction of the train tracks.

Nathan stared at her for a few seconds, he didn't believe that was all there was to it but he didn't feel like pressing her for more. With a nod and a "stay close" he continued walking, not bothering to look back if she had.

If there was ever a need to look both ways before crossing the street, Nathan figured now could be one. Getting run over didn't worry him as much as the mounted LMG's on Resistance trucks did. There was not a vehicle in sight, this part of the Valley seemed dead much to his relief.

They walked over to the destroyed grain silo next to the old grain elevator and walked in the direction of the back of the elevator itself. They held their noses as they walked through the field with mutilated cows scattered everywhere until they reached the back area near where the dog cages were.

The place was empty save for three lonely cultists and a shit ton of blood splattered all over the walls. Nathan urged Faith to crouch down with him and pointed his finger from his ear over to the cultists talking up ahead of them.

"Do you think we should go and look for him? We can't afford to loose any more people!" A bearded one with the standard peggie outfit asked the other two, a tall bald one with a large, black coat and a woman who appeared annoyed at the question.

"It's best we forget him, he's probably already dead, Those Cougars, along with the rest of the Resistance, are a bunch vicious degenerates..." The peggie with the large coat told him. The bearded man didn't seem satisfied with the reply.

"But still we may fi-" He was quickly cut off.

"Donovan was a fool who thought he could survive out in the Henbane by his lonesome. How Lady Faith ever considered him a viable candidate for priesthood is beyond me!" The cultist woman exclaimed. Nathan could hear slight jealousy in her tone.

Maybe she wanted to be a priestess? _Well tough luck lady..._

He turned to Faith and quietly asked her if she knew that woman. She of course said she did, and she had infact hoped to become a priestess someday. They continued listening to the three peggies

"It isn't wise to bring her up, many still mourn her's, Jacob's and John's passings at the hand of that sinner." The one with the large coat advised.

That caught Nathan by surprise; he honestly didn't expect_ anyone _of sane mind to actually miss Jacob. Faith he could understand, hell even John to some extent but Jacob? These people had to be insane no doubt about it. Then again, no one in Eden's Gate was of sane mind, present company excluded.

"The sinner is probably having the time of his life now, rejoicing in the pain he and the rest of those snakes brought upon Eden's Gate..."

_So they don't know she's alive, that's good_. Nathan didn't want the cult to know she was, it would definitely end terribly. They walked away from the cages to the entrance of the mill.

_It's now or never I guess..._

Nathan quietly made his way past the broken fence and into the mill grounds. The first thing that he noticed was the pugnant odor from the cages next to him. He knew very well what that smell was, but why they didn't burn them or something was beyond him. Then again he shouldn't be surprised, Eden's Gate wasn't exactly the most humane group.

_I hope they at least got quick deaths... _It wasn't likely, the dirt and walls around the mill were riddled with bullet holes and dry blood. These people didn't go out without a fight.

Nathan ignored the smell and crouched closer to the peggies. He could see the cultist with the large coat and the girl talking to each other but no sign of the third one. He had to assume he was inside the warehouse so that made the whole stealth approach considerably easier.

_You've got five bullets Nate, anyone hears you and you're fucking done for... _His self reminder only urged him to continue moving forward. The closer he got to them the better chance he had at landing a killing shot.

The one with the large coat had a AR-C, a standard of Eden's Gate soldiers while the woman had a M1911, _perfect! _

They were a bit apart from each other but would definitely notice if either one of them went down. Nathan set his sights on the one closest to him which was the one with the large coat. There had to be a way to distract the woman, _but how?_ His answer was brought to him in the form of a large rock close by which he could use to distract the other peggie while he dealt with this one.

He picked it up and held it in his arm contemplating where to toss it. The cultist was near the entrance so maybe hitting the fence would be good. Nathan flung the rock at the fence and it hurdled over till it hit a plank of wood with a loud _smack!_

This greatly alarmed the peggie who immediately raised her weapon in the general direction of where the rock hit.

"Did you hear that?"

"Must've been the darn skunks, nearly had one of those spray me the other day." The large coat peggie assumed. Nathan heavily doubted hygiene mattered to these people, especially in these circumstances. _Scratch that_, it didn't seem to matter to them even before they lost everything.

"You think? I'mma check it out..." The woman ignored his warning and slowly walked over to investigate.

"I'm telling you, you're going to get sprayed or worse yet it could be a wolverine. I _hate _those things."

_You and me both buddy... _Nathan detested the little critters, whenever he encountered one they_ always _nipped at his boots. He usually let Boomer deal with them, he wasn't to keen on wasting ammo on the equivalent of a miniature bear.

Nathan quickly snuck up behind the man and covered his mouth. As soon as he did he shot twice in the back of his head and quietly set him down in the ground, not wanting to alert the other by just dropping him.

Thankfully she didn't notice and continued kicking around the dirt trying to find the source of the noise that made her jump. A quick bullet through her jugular ended her life. Nathan thanked his accuracy and precision for such a well placed shot, he half expected it to hit her shoulder or something.

She fell down to the ground grasping at her throat as blood poured out like a waterfall. Her gasps were silenced by the loud crickets of the night.

_That's two down, one more to go._

Nathan turned to the garage where he recovered the Widowmaker for Mary May months ago. Entering he saw no peggie anywhere and continued into the small office. _Nothing._

Where was he? Nathan became extremely alarmed. _Is he outside? _He ran towards the door only to have it closed shut in his face and a fist connecting with his eye. That was promptly followed by several more hitting his ribcage and jaw.

Disorientation was one cruel bitch and the peggie used that to his advantage as he stepped away to look down smugly at Nathan, seemingly proud he was able to down the seemingly invincible Deputy Rook.

Nathan knew he was no pushover and he tried lunging at the man but was met with a hard kick to his face causing his vision to flash white in pain and heavily disorienting him. He was lifted up and kneed in his stomach causing him to double over in pain. Nathan's attempts at defending himself seemed further angered the cultist

He was smacked on the side of his head once more with the rifle's stock, the sickening slap of metal hitting flesh resonating across the room. He couldn't feel his face anymore and the only thing he could see was the alarming amount of blood dripping on the floor.

"Countless of my brothers and sisters you murdered sinner, our only chance to survive the Collapse you destroyed... The Father teaches us that revenge isn't something we should act upon, but by God, does this feel enlightening!"

Nathan could barely see anything from the heavy blows to his face but what he _very clearly _could see was his handgun laying awfully close to him. The peggie hadn't even bothered to check if he had anything on him.

He let the man go on with his rant, both somehow completely ignoring each other. Nathan quickly kicked the gun over to himself and hid it behind him. The man, apparently done with his speech turned back to him.

"It's over now sinner, all the pain and suffering you caused Eden's Gate will be a thing of the past..." He began walking over to Nathan with his rifle in hand. "Think of this as a favor, though it'll be up to God to judge your sins..." He aimed the rifle at Nathan.

_Now you fucking idiot!_

In the blink of an eye Nathan raised his gun and shot the man twice. The cultist collapsed to the floor seemingly dead thankfully. Nathan stood up and immediately felt like he was going to throw up. The feeling washed over quickly and was replaced by a pounding headache. He walked painfully over to the peggie. He picked up the AR-C and reloaded the rifle with a full clip. The rifle itself wasn't his cup of tea but it would have to do. His AK-M would have to, sadly, lay dormant for as long as he could find ammo for it. He pocketed the other magazines in his jacket's pouches and looked back at the dead peggie. Just what were they hoping to accomplish by taking control of this mill? Scare the Resistance? Hardly worked when they had the _entire _county at their hands, how was it going to work now.

The vision on his left eye was kind of blurry, and the smell of blood was nauseatingly strong. He was pretty sure the left side of his head was caked in crimson, he could feel it all over. _Gonna have to get that cleaned, after I patch up of course._ Not only that but the entirety of his head felt like it was being continuously slammed hard by a sledgehammer. He ran his hand lightly around his chest and groaned in pain. Broken ribs? No, it'd take a lot more than a couple of punches to break those. Broken pride? Well, he'd rather not have anyone know he had been caught off guard like that, _ever_...

He exited the garage and once outside he spotted Faith near the entrance and waved her over. Her gaze drifted down at the bodies near him and she stood still for a few seconds before hesitantly walking over to him.

Her look of dejection, and what he could assume was fear, was quickly replaced by deep worry when she came closer to him and saw his injury.

"Are you alright!? We need to get back to the clinic and get that checked out!"

"Yeah it's fine, it just stings a little." That was a lie, merely _blinking_ made his head feel like it was on fire and he had a feeling she knew he was lying. She gently placed her hand on his injury and the contact made him flinch back in pain.

"Looks like it's more than just stinging. We should go..."

"Yeah alright let's get out of here." He was in the mood to rest for a while, he'd leave it to the Resistance to clean up this mess.

"People are going to be all over this right?"

"Yep. Though this place isn't exactly very significant to the Resistance, they still wouldn't want it to fall into the hands of Eden's Gate." He figured folks would be here in a few hours maybe probably wondering which one of them did it.

They left the place soon after, Nathan feeling more confident now that he had more reliable means of defense. The walk back to the clinic was quiet, Nathan tried to strike up a conversation with Faith but either she was uninterested in whatever he had to say, which honestly wasn't much, or her mind was somewhere else. It could also be payback for his less tham friendly attitude at the beginning of their scavenging.

He chose to believe it was the second option.

_

The first thing Nathan did when they got back to the clinic was to run to the restroom's sink to clean the blood from his face. It was all over but he eventually cleaned it all off. He looked himself over in the mirror and saw the large, red welt on the side of his head. It wasn't really noticable thankfully his hair covered most of it.

He unbuttoned his shirt to see the damage done on his chest. Aside from the purple and green bruises nothing seemed out of place. He took a step back to stare at the man in the mirror. He rubbed his hand on his chin saddened at his inability to grow even a stubble of a beard. _You're only 25, could grow sometime soon? _It came out more as a question rather than the reassurance he was looking for. Nathan laughed for worrying about something as trivial as growing facial hair in the circumstances they were in.

He saw Faith standing by the door of the restroom eyeing his injuries. He prepared himself for the inevitable chewing out she'd do but that never came, instead came a question. "Those were all members of my flock... What were they doing all the way over here?"

Nathan had to go off on the most probable guess he had which was "It's much like our reasons for being here; the Resistance isn't as prominent here as in the Henbane of the Whitetail Mountains."

"What I don't understand is if they can't contact Joseph at all or at least it didn't seem like it, why do something as risky as claiming territory from the Resistance knowing it's only the three of them. Someone was bound to find them and they'd be easy pickings." Nathan understood peggies weren't exactly the brightest people but to do something as drastic as that was a bit surprising. Not only that but it was a showing of how desperate Eden's Gate was becoming.

"I'm not sure..." She answered. Nathan lifted her face up to meet his and kissed her deeply and she gladly returned it. He pulled away and left to check on their "spoils" from their trip.

Nathan went through the supplies they found and glanced at the rifle and ammo, the food wasn't much but it was enough to hold them on for a while longer. The rifle had an entire clip loaded plus three extra and so did his handgun.

"Surprise gift from the peggie inside the garage aside, I'd say our little scavenging trip went rather well." He muttered to himself, he suddenly heard her voice ask him a question again.

"How do you cope with everything that happened?"

_What's up with these out of place questions?_

"I'm not sure, I guess I don't really have to since I've tried to put that behind me. It doesn't work most of the time y'know, memories and stuff, but I just simply learned to accept it and move on."

"Accept it huh?" _If only it were that easy for me_, Faith wished.

"Is this about the Project?" He needed no verbal response to know that the answer was yes. He wondered if she held any resentment towards him for killing the peggies at the mill.

"Kind of but that's not what I really wanted to talk to you about." Faith wouldn't tell him of the poster, she didn't want to fall victim to his comforting words and completely forget that she also has to do her part.

"I'm listening."

"I want to start doing my part to help you." She wanted to stop being a burden to him. If she did this, then maybe it could be a starting point for proving she was done with Eden's Gate. _Prove to who? Nathan or myself? _Faith knew Nathan didn't hold her past against her in any way but it was her past actions that caused all of this... _Prove to the Resistance? _Maybe.

"You've been doing plenty already." He was fine with doing all the heavy lifting as long as it kept her out of harms way.

"Like what exactly?" She questioned, expecting the silence that followed. Nathan didn't want to say he didn't need her help out of fear it might offend her so he kept his mouth shut. It wasn't that he didn't believe she _could _help, it was rather_ how _she could.

"That's what I thought, _nothing! _I've done nothing but drag you down and you know it. Nathan I can't keep watching you carry the burden on your own, it isn't fair for you."

"I'm assuming the burden you are referring to is yourself?" He took note of the way she averted her eyes. "Thought so, look you're no burden to me, you never were and you never will be."

"Sure I'm not, is that why it's been only you who has risked himself in the whole time we've been running away?"

Her self hate was confusing to Nathan. _Where is all of this coming from? _He knew it wasn't just because she felt "useless". "Well you don't know much about surviving out here right?"

_I don't need to be reminded of how useless I am right now __Nathan..._

"No." She answered simply. No use in lying since he knew already. Eden's Gate had provided all the comfort and security she thought she would ever need.

"So uhmm... you want me to teach you to shoot?" Nathan asked, lifting the pistol up. It was the best he could offer right now. He was sure she could get the hang of it, wasn't that hard. _Just point and click! kinda like a camera, except this is far deadlier..._

"I have plenty of ammo now so we could spare a few rounds."

"I'm not sure, plus this wasn't really what I had in mind when I said I wanted to help you."

"Think of it as a last resort, in case something happens to me and God forbid I'm unable to help you. I wouldn't want you to be defenseless." He was honestly as unsure about this as she was, quite possibly even more. Still, she needed to be prepared for the worst and they both knew that.

"If it's a last resort, then how is it going to help me do my part in all of this?" She wanted to do something that could help them _now_, not something that would only be useful in some probable scenario that she never wanted to imagine.

"Well let's be real here, I've been running on pure luck ever since I got to Hope County. That's bound to run out someday, might be today, tommorow, or even next week." Nathan felt he was dragging on a bit too much. "What I'm trying to say is this: I don't know when I'll be, _inevitably,_ injured and unable to help you, I have no control over that so I want to prepare you in case something does happen and you're on you own..."

The implications of him possibly dying were thinly veiled under "being injured". Faith didn't want to think about that. She was fine with her interpretation of the worse being _this_, as in very little food and not Nathan's death.

"Don't say things like that..." Her voice was quiet but Faith really wanted to reprimand him, to be angry at him for even thinking of things like that, but she couldn't. He was right, the possibility of him being critically injured was very real. It nearly happened at the Sawyer Residence not too long ago.

"Why not? You know I'm right. Running from the Resistance, the cultist at the Henbane River, the firefight at the old homestead and now_ this._" He pointed at the red bump on his head. "I've been _extremely_ close to death too many times." So maybe the head injury wasn't a good example on its own, but what if he had stayed disorientated long enough because of it for the peggie to shoot him?

"I need some time to think about it." She answered. Truthfully she knew her answer would probably be no, but until they could find something she could do she'd have to go along with it. Nathan seemed contempt with her answer thankfully. He nodded and turned back to his pack.

"Sure, offers on the table if you're ever up for it." He placed the weapon back in his backpack. Nathan wanted to go rest, his headache was incredibly painful and they were out of painkillers. Not that they would do much against the bump on his head or the bruises but they helped him sleep faster.

Nathan felt inclined to try and comfort her but he found himself unable to. He honestly wasn't in the mood for any further conversation with the headache he had, they could figure things out tommorow

So with one last look at her figure leaning in the doorway, Nathan collapsed on the bed and almost immediately fell into deep slumber.

Faith stood contemplating his offer. He obviously wasn't taking this as serious as she was for whatever reason. Maybe to try and change her mind and make things not look as bad as they currently were but it didn't work, she wasn't blind to the severity of their situation.

_I'll prove I'm not just here to take advantage of him... _Faith would never think of doing that intentionally, but that's how she felt she was doing by not helping him in anyway. All that was left was to make him understand that he couldn't do this on his own and that her help would be a relief for him.

_Soon_, she promised not herself but Nathan who had been weighed down by the responsibility of taking care of her as well as getting them both away from Hope County.

Was this all because of the fear she felt of possibly being abandoned by him? Well she certainly wouldn't blame him if he took up the Resistance's offer if he ever found out about it. So she had to prove to herself, to him and to the Resistance that this wasn't a free ride for her and _that_ she would do.

-

**I apologize for the delay, next ****chapter should go up**** sometime soon though.**** I'm aware that ingame the AK-M and AR-C both use the same "Rifle" ammo but for the sake of the story let's say they don't. Anyways, reviews and suggestions are appreciated and noted like always. **


	18. Toy Soldier

The talk with Tammy had gone just about as well as Jess had expected it would have. Neither could change the others mind no matter how they tried. Both were set in their ways on how to deal with the situation with Nathan.

One important thing Jess learned in their talk was that to Tammy this wasn't even about Faith, but rather the conditioning Jacob put Nathan under.

_Jess_ agreed with the general consensus regarding everyone's most-turned-least favorite Deputy, Nathan IS incredibly fucking gullible and naïve, but to have to kill him? A little too far in her opinion. Now, had his little stunt with Joseph's flower whore happened when they first met, Jess wouldn't have hesitated in hunting them down with intent to kill.

_"We all want Faith dead Tammy, but to kill him is kinda fucking unnecessary don't you think?" Jess was getting more and more pissed at the older woman's unrelenting attitude._

_Jess could argue the same could be said about her but she didn't give a shit._

_"Honestly I couldn't care any less about Faith. We want him gone because we know exactly what's gonna happen when that fucking song starts to play and it ain't gonna be pretty."_

_So that's it!_

They wanted him dead because he could turn into a psycho at any moment. A valid fear she wasn't going to lie, but a very backwards way of going through with it. Why not just try and help him? Could be difficult but probably not impossible.

Jess knew this was just wishful thinking and not reality. No one ever was the same after what that sick fuck Jacob put them through, Nathan being no exception.

And their talk continued for almost an hour, neither backing down. Usually, when Jess found she was in the loosing side of an argument she resorted to less than civil words and occasionally exchanged blows. She couldn't do that here on account of there being more of Tammy and her people than there was of her and neither side really won the argument. Plus she didn't have any intentions of violence towards the Whitetails despite their views on Nathan's little fuck up.

She did call Tammy every name under the sun, but only _after _she left. She was angry not suicidal.

That didn't mean it was the end though, even if Tammy was being a stuck up bitch. Though most of the region hated Nathan's guts (nothing new), there were still many other Whitetails who respect and appreciate Nathan and all he did, and _those _were the people Jess had to talk to.

But how? Much like her runaway best friend she wasn't very social, less than him actually. She wasn't blind to her aggressive personality (not that she gave a fuck what people thought of her anyways) but that didn't make her the most charismatic of speakers. She had the respect of the people there but that didn't mean much if they didn't listen so she had to find a way to get them to.

_Fuck Tammy, as if I need to convince HER __to spare Nathan. Nah, the soldiers is who I've gotta go after. Once I get to them, she'll have no choice but to double down..._

_

When she arrived back at Falls End, Jess saw Hurk carrying several food items to his truck. Normally she would've ignored it and dismissed it as just Drubman being Drubman but something told her there was something else to it. Not just the look of fear Hurk gave her as he glanced at her, nearly dropping whatever it was he had in his arms.

"Hey Jess." She heard someone to her left call. Turning around she saw Grace and Boomer walking over to her. It was weird to see the dog hang around someone that wasn't Nathan but Jess knew it had some attachment to Grace. Nathan's first aides were the dog and her, back when the Valley still had to worry about John Seed.

"What's up"

"Not much, back from that talk with the people up in the mountains huh? How'd it go?"

"God don't even remind me" She groaned as she remembered the stubbornness of the Militia's leader.

"I'm sure you tried, c'mon let's get something to drink."

Aside from Nathan and her uncle Dutch, Grace was one of the only people she tolerated enough to hold a conversation for more than five minutes. Plus she wasn't gonna lie she kind of looked up to her even if Jess wasn't one for the military life herself.

"Sure, lemme just check something real quick." Jess had a big grin and walked over to the unsuspecting Hurk and Sharky.

"What the fuck are you losers up to?" With no Nathan to hold her back, she decided she'd have a little fun scaring them.

"Well Ms. Black, I don't see how that's any of your business is it?" Hurk asked jokingly, but everyone could hear the nervousness in his voice. Jess didn't know if it was out of fear or he was hiding something but for the sake of her ego she went with the former.

"The fuck did you say?" Her aggressive tone made the cousins flinch in now very visible fear. Sharky stepped in and spoke up.

"He said that we uh... we were just leaving!" They turned their attention back to what they were packing, very conscious they were being watched vigilantly by Jess.

"Calm down Jess, c'mon let's get something to drink." Grace urged, slightly hesitant not out of any fear but slight amusement at what was unfolding.

"Whatever, don't have time to deal with the two of you right now..." _Or ever, _Jess dismissed as she made her way to the Spread Eagle, hoping the booze would help her blow off some steam after the argument with Tammy.

Grace followed in suit, shooting the cousins an apologetic look. "Sorry fellas..."

Boomer gave them a bark before running to Grace

Once inside they sat down in the stools and ordered their drinks. Grace turned to Jess to address her behavior outside. "Went a little too hard on them don't you think?"

"Maybe, but I just don't see why we need those two to help. They are literally the term 'fuck up' incarnate." If it were up to her she'd lock them both up at Fort Drubman with Senior and throw the key away. Probably the only one she didn't dislike out of that family was Adelaide, if only because they had minimal contact and Nathan seemed to like her.

"They are good people Jess, sure not too bright but they are doing their part. Besides didn't Nathan hold them at a high regard."

"Nathan did, _I _don't. You know of Sharky's less than impressive highschool years dont you?" While she didn't outright hate them, Jess sure as hell didn't like them either. Obnoxiousness wasn't something she tolerated in the slightest.

"You've told me already."

The two sat in comfortable silence, Jess looked down at Boomer who was wagging his tail and staring expectantly at Grace. "The dog has really taken a liking to you, seems like it forgot all about his old master."

Grace looked down at him and began scratching his ear and asking him who the good boy was.

"I'm sure he still misses Nathan and Rae Rae as well. I don't mind keeping him company for the time being, ain't that right Boomer?" At the sound of his name he began wagging his tail wildly.

"I guess..." Her attention was suddenly brought to the jukebox at the far end of the bar. Almost instantly she recognized the song playing. _What else but I Fought The fucking Law? Thank god Nathan isn't here to squeal like a fucking bitch..._

"God I fucking hate that song." Jess moaned. Grace listened in closely to the radio, after a bit she shrugged, not really seeing or hearing the problem with it.

"Sounds alright to me, what, the sixties not your favorite?" Grace knew that type of music fell out of style fifty or so years ago but it wasn't bad.

"Hell no! Not just that but you have no idea how many times Nathan played that song when he drove." It drove _her_ insane and he wouldn't stop. Once she remembered she had to shove him to passengers seat so she could control the radio. His bitching about the static playing was music to her ears.

"I do actually, a lot of the times he'd sing it when we were traveling around the Valley. I still have no idea what a six gun means."

"According to Nathan, it's a revolver. Y'know, six bullets, six shooter?" How she remembered that was a mystery to Jess, she usually ignored Nathan's banter when it wasn't related to killing peggies or which Blood Dragon movie was her favorite.

Grace wondered how something that simple was able to slip by her. Something by the counter caught her eye. She examined the paper closely and nearly spit out her beer.

"_What in the hell..._ Hey take a look at this." Grace slipped her over a paper. Jess grabbed it and skimmed through it. The offer to give Nathan a place back in the Resistance on the condition he turn Faith in. She couldn't help but snort slightly at it

"Highly doubt Nathan's gonna fall for this crap..." Jess couldn't stop thinking about the absurdity of the proposition. _How stupid are they to think this will work?_

Nathan had gone this far without ever attempting to make contact with anyone about turning Faith over. Unless she proved to be too useless to be worth his time, it was highly unlikely he'd take up the offer now.

"Who were the fucking geniuses that made this, couldn't have been anyone here im the Valley right?"

"Not sure it very well could've been, hey Mary?" Grace called out. Mary looked up from the glass she was cleaning and walked over to the two.

"What's up, you guys need a refill?" She asked lifting up another beer, both shook their heads at the offer.

"Actually, we were wondering who made this, was it someone from Holland?" Grace handed her the paper. Mary stared at it for a moment before handing it back to Grace.

"I'm not sure honestly, though if I had to guess it was probably the Cougars. I hear they are _really_ pissed with the Deputy's decisions."

"I don't think something like this would slide with Nathan's boss, it's probably Tracey or someone else."

"Speaking about his boss, what's his take on what went down? I assume he isn't pleased at all." Mary asked Jess, aware she hung around there long enough to know something.

"Whitehorse was actually angrier at Tracey than at Nate, I mean he's still pretty pissed at him but he probably won't lose his job. _Probably."_ Jess knew Whitehorse had issues with keeping Faith alive but knew that the only reason they were even here was to arrest the Seeds. That and he had hoped Nathan's friendship with her would've gotten some information to help them find Joseph.

"What about his co-workers? I know Deputy Hudson defended him and spoke highly of him here in the Valley." That was true, Hudson was incredibly angry at the folks for attacking someone who was not only her friend but an officer of the law.

"Pratt's still too shaken up by what happened at the Whitetails but both want to hear his side, unlike the rest of the Henbane." Okay, so maybe not all of it but the majority did.

So either Nathan was getting that promotion he always talked about getting, or he was getting the boot and maybe some jailtime. That was of course beyond their control, what _they _had to worry about was getting him back on everyone's good side, which was proving to be a challenge.

"Damn, I don't see a way out of this in which_ everyone_ will be pleased. Anyways, I'll leave you two ladies to yourselves." Mary left to attend her other more rowdier patrons.

"If the peggies see this they will know she's alive, then we'll have to worry about Joseph and his soldiers searching for them." Grace warned, worried about the possibility of the cult reaching to them first.

Jess waved a hand dismissively, undermining what would become a future problem for everyone.

"With how weakened they are it'd be a fucking death wish to raise hell looking for her." The scarcity of peggies in the Valley was amplified to the tenth in the other two regions. Any signs of there even being a cult were the Eden's Gate symbol spray painted across the county and the corpses. _As well as the emotional scars and trauma left behind _but Jess was referring to physical evidence.

It was very conflicting for her. On one hand she was glad the cult was at it's knees but that meant soon there would be no more action, and without the motivation what the fuck was she going to do?

Live off the woods for the rest of her life? _I don't see myself hunting shit when I turn eighty..._

Go live with her uncle Dutch? _No offense to him, but prepper bunkers aren't my thing._

She used to have a plan, a far off thing she had been contemplating for a while but that went to waste when Nathan ran away.

_Whatever, I'll think of this when this is all over._..

_

Grace understood everyone's dismissive attitude towards the lack of peggies left but that didn't mean the worst was over. Joseph Seed proved over the years how resourceful he really was and still is.

"Not that simple or easy for us. The Deputy and I rescued a defector from a trailer park once, we had a pretty sizable group of them trying to stop us. We barely made it out with our lives." She told Jess, who couldn't yet understand the issue.

"Yeah him and Jerome told me, still, the fucking peggies were at full force back then the same can't be said about now."

"Your forgetting how valuable she was to their operation. Without her knowledge of the Bliss they wouldn't have had much luck converting people, at least not as easily as they did." She was a detrimental part to what power Eden's Gate managed to develop in only a few years. "Joseph would be foolish not to try and find her, though you are right a rescue mission would be very risky. I estimate he still has around a few hundred of his people hidden away with him somewhere."

"A few hundred? Jesus Christ talk about a fucking fall from grace." Jess laughed. To see his entire operation burn to the ground must've been killing him, what she wouldn't pay to see the look on his face now.

"We both, no_... everyone, _in this county knows having only a few hundred won't matter when you have Deputy Nathan Rook at your disposal."

And with that Jess's laughing stopped and her face darkened. Now she understood, _she understood very clearly_. Grace caught on to the immediate change in attitude and it seemed she struck a cord, not intentionally obviously but it was interesting to see her reaction.

"It won't come to that..."

"Then we better be quick huh?"

"Jess have you ever stopped and think, what if the deputy doesn't want to come back? After the hostility towards him do you think he'll be comfortable with joining the Resistance again?"

_No, _Jess never stopped to think that because she didn't need to. At least, she thought she didn't.

"It was probably the flower whore that made him leave."

"That still doesn't answer the second question, _do you think Nathan will be comfortable in returning?_"

"So what you're saying is that Nathan should find no issue in returning?"

"I don't give a damn if he does or doesn't, not his babysitter. I'm fine with him having his name cleared and that bitch six feet under, preferably twelve." If he wanted to wait everything out Jess was perfectly fine with. If all he wanted, once he was in the clear, was to return to his home away from the county Jess was fine with.

"Well we're gonna have to get to work if we want to do that..."

"I need to ask you something. would you have an issue if I killed Faith?" Jess was curious to hear her opinion. It wouldn't bring her any guilt if she did but she just wanted to know.

"Me? Not in the slightest, but I'm not the one you should be asking. It's wether or not the Deputy would have an issue, which he probably would otherwise he would've killed her himself back at the Henbane." Grace had no sympathy for Faith, regardless of what Nathan told every she went through at a young age.

"He wanted to just give her jailtime, as if that's all she deserved... Doesn't matter if it's just a few years or even lifetime in prison, that would never be enough punishment for what she did."

"Then wouldn't death just be a quicker way out for her?"

"It isn't going to end fast for her, nah she doesn't deserve an easy way out. I'm going to break her till she's begging for death." Jess had a plan, and in her opinion a perfect one. She wasn't going to immediately kill Faith as soon as she saw her no. She had to find a way to make Nathan change his mind about her, anything... Then once she was lured into a false sense of security, Jess would finish her off. Preferably somewhere discreet...

_Okay so maybe it's still in the works, but I'm gonna go through with it._

Talk like this would've fazed any other person but not Grace, she understood what it was like to hate someone. Maybe not to the extent Jess did, neither for the _exact_ same reasons but she knew.

"She might know where Joseph is." Grace added.

"_Might? _That bitch definitely knows where the hell he's hiding." Jess's eyes widening in realization confirmed Grace's idea would hit it off

"Then maybe before you kill her you might want to see what information you can get from her."

"Interrogation?" Jess was intrigued, sure torturing Faith would be satisfactory but getting information out of her while doing so? A cherry on top in her opinion.

"Well if you are so insistent on torturing her before you kill her, might as well get something out of it." _That isn't some sort of sadistic pleasure... _Grace wasn't exactly comfortable with it but the sooner the conflict with the cult was over, the better. "It's going to be necessary to end this thing with Eden's Gate. If she knows of any possible hideout's it would at least give us a place to start our search for the Father."

"_Of course," _Grace felt she had to emphasize this in order to keep Jess on the right track "helping Nathan should come first."

"Oh for sure, Just gotta find him obviously..." The search really wasn't going anywhere. She knew Tammy would notify them immediately if Nathan set foot in the Whitetail Mountains but no such thing had happened since they talked.

"I need to go to the Henbane, gotta talk to Tracey about the flower bitch."

"I'm assuming she knows something about her we don't?"

"Apparently she and the whore were 'best friends' way back years ago, before the cult was even a thing here. I want to see if I can find out something I can use." Anything would be useful. Jess knew Tracey probably wanted Nathan dead but she'd deal with her later.

"Use in what way?"

"In _whatever _way, plus she kinda owes me for helping her organize the whole _'storming up and demanding Nathan that he turn Faith in.'_" Had Jess known how things were going to go, she would've never followed through with it. _Except I had an idea it would turn out this way, and still did it anyways..._

Grace caught on to her tone of voice. She knew Jess partially blamed herself for what happened to Nathan. She also understood Jess was trying to redeem herself by trying to help him and in the end that's all that mattered.

_

Hurk sighed in relief as Jess and Grace continued walking past them and into the Spread Eagle.

"Thank god we kept our straight faces, could've blown this out quickly."

"Hurky ya' think we're doing the right thing. I mean everyone's looking for him and we know where he is. I dunno, just feels like we're just wasting everyone's time."

"I know man but Nate made me promise not to tell anyone, he's still a bit jumpy and probably scared someone might end up killing him."

"Well I mean... Ain't that exactly what's gonna happen if and when he leaves the Valley?" He brought up a very good point, though neither were exactly smart enough to dwell on it.

"Listen Sharky, you keep quiet about this and I tell ya' what. I'll let you _borrow, _emphasis on _borrow, _my season one DVD of Knight Rider, how's that sound?" Hurk knew this would work, Sharky had been asking for it since he got it.

"The one signed by the legend David Hasselhoff himself? Alright deal, I'll keep my mouth shut!" Sharky had no intention of actually revealing anything to anyone, he just really wanted the DVD's.

"Deal, now help me pack up the rest of this stuff so we can drop it off, hopefully our buddy hasn't died of hunger yet." Hurk urged, packing up what was left of the supplies. They were approached by Nick who had just exited the bar.

"Hurk, I was wondering where you were. Jerome was asking for you, said if you could go with him to speak with Adelaide about our problem with Nathan."

"With Holland Valley being somewhat tolerant of the Deputy, Jerome figured it would be time to move over to the Henbane River. He said he would go to speak with Sheriff Whitehorse and the other Cougars"

"Sure man, still no word on Nate huh?" Hurk played along to the charade of not knowing of Nathan's location. Nick shook his head disappointingly.

"Nah man, for someone as noticable as him he sure does leave no trails. I'mma take a break, leave it to Jess and you guys." Fuel was a bit sparse these days and Nick wanted to save some. He promised he'd do more fly-by's over the Valley later on. As he was leaving towards his truck he was stopped by Sharky.

"Hey Nick, could you ask Kim if she's gonna do her homemade chili recipe for the cook off next month?"

"Sharky I don't even know if the cook off is gonna happen, we're all a little too preoccupied with finding Nathan, and she's a bit busy as well taking care of Nick Ju- I mean Carmina." Nick quickly corrected himself, thankful Kim wasn't here to chew him out for his mistake. He didn't do it intentionally but it would take a while for him to stop accidentally calling his infant daughter by what would've been her name, had she been born male.

"Testy Festy still happened, and we were in the middle of our tango with the peggies then." Sharky stated, unfazed by the situation. It wasn't that he didn't care for Nathan but his priorities were very mixed.

"Boshaw you weren't even there, how the hell do you know?"

"Dep told me once when we were out here, sucks I missed it. Just... Could ya' relay the message please?"

"Sure whatever man, hey I'll see you guys later." Nick left with no actual intention of asking his wife whatever it was Sharky wanted. He was already forgetting what it was.

Contempt with the answer, Sharky turned back to his cousin to continue the topic at hand.

"Did you ask him about you-know-who? Did you even see her?"

"I didn't see her at all, apparently she has a boyfriend. Bummer, I thought she and I really hit it off." Hurk lamented, gaining no sympathy from his younger cousin who was too busy wondering if Faith's boyfriend would let her sing in that band he always wanted.

"You don't think it's the Dep is it?" Sharky asked, he himself was now somewhat curious. "That would certainly put our amigo in a very bad spot, I mean a worse one than the one he's currently in."

Hurk shook his head. "Nah, last time I checked him and peggies don't get along too well."

"Well if it's not him then who? I thought you said peggies were real sticks in the mud about relationships."

"I did say that, thank you for reminding me, but it could be different. She might've gotten special treatment cause y'know, she's one of the leaders..."

"Anyways let's get this shit over to Nathan, he was looking a little light when I saw him."

"Yeah sure let's roll."

"Hey before we leave, can we agree that the Dep has some eyes you can loose yourself in?"

"Oh sure man, I mean we got blue eyes but his are something else, kinda jealous."

Soon they departed to a destination unknown by everyone else but not for long sadly. They were unaware of how close they were to getting caught and how long it would take for everything to be revealed.

**AN: That thing I said about this coming out sooner? yeah that was a lie sorry about that.**** The new (and absolutely terrible) Wolfenstein game has taken up most of my time and boy oh boy was that a waste of 30 dollars.** **Well now I have more time on my hands, and updates should be faster**. **Sorry if this one's a little lackluster but I do hope it makes up for the tardiness.**

**Anyways, the**** first half of this chapter was supposed to be included in the previous one. I axed it because it felt incomplete and shoehorned in for the sake of just getting their perspectives out of the way, which ****wasn't my intention****.** **Also, since this is already far detached from Far Cry 5's canon, the nukes won't end up happening. This doesn't mean it will come to a full "yay everyone's happy, hooray!" conclusion but we won't see the deputy become the rather pitiful mute of New Dawn.**

**One more thing, I know there hasn't been a lot of "action" happening because well, there was never meant to be that much honestly. Though it won't always be smooth sailing for Nathan and Faith, if that wasn't clear already, especially in the future.** **Though that'll be mainly strong disagreements between them rather than any real immediate danger (sort of)**

**As always, reviews and suggestions yadda yadda yadda...**


	19. Little Bit Him, Little Bit Her

Faith often wondered how life would be when she and Nathan eventually left Hope County. The optimistic side of her hoped they would begin again together, something she wanted more than anything in the world. Then there was the realist side which told her there was no way they were setting foot outside the county and if they did, they would have _nowhere _to go. She didn't have any family that she knew of and Nathan's was two states away, so they would be on their own.

_Like the criminals we are_, no... like the criminal_ she _was.

So did that make Nathan's struggle to keep her safe pointless? Something told her it did. Maybe they weren't meant to leave Hope County at all and that was the worst part, knowing that everything Nathan did would be for nothing. Every injury, every day he went without eating or drinking anything wouldn't matter because they were going to die, whether it be in this Valley or in the Mountains.

She learned to push away those thoughts and trust in Nathan's promise that they _were _getting out of Hope County safely. Was it naive of her? _maybe, but I trust Nathan and I always will._

She turned around to see him fast asleep. The red welt was sort of gone but replaced by a vicious, multicolored bruise and his bottom lip was cut and slightly opened. His injuries looked terrible and yet after all that he proved he would endure more for her. She sprained her ankle once and because of it they were stuck in the Henbane longer than Nathan wanted.

That along with many other things proved how unfit she was to survive in drastic conditions. Faith never worried about it when she was with Eden's Gate, back when life seemed perfect and she didn't have to worry about it when they first began their escape, because Nathan had done all the work.

Things were different now, there wasn't a place where they could be safe and the Holland Valley proved that. Faith had to learn to pick up the slack and step up when Nathan couldn't because he couldn't keep going on forever. It was important that she proved that she could do help him and not drag him down like it seemed she had been doing since they escaped.

_

Teaching Faith to use a weapon had proven _much_ harder for Nathan than what he had expected. From immediately dropping the gun as soon as the first round went off to loading the magazine the wrong way, it would've been humorous had she not given him the meanest glare ever and specifically warned him to not laugh.

It was still pretty funny.

He couldn't fault her, he was no professional when he first began. Hell, even now he'd call his skills serviceable at best, at least compared to the only person he envied because of her near-perfect marksmanship: Grace.

They had been at it for half an hour trying to hit a pumpkin he found in the back of the pickup truck picked fresh off of Rae Rae's farm. It wasn't the perfect thing to use for target practice but he couldn't find anything better.

He unscrewed the suppressor of his 1911 and handed her the gun. Faith's hands were sweating and trembling slightly, kind of an overaction to what they were doing but whatever.

"Shouldn't you keep it on, we're gonna attract attention."

"It's Hope County, it'd be weird if there wasn't some gun going off somewhere, it'll be fine." Nathan wasn't exactly sure about that, but he didn't want to discourage her.

"Just relax alright, it's not hard at all. Keep your arms steady, take a deep breath and_ click_!" Nathan instructed. And she did just that. Except as soon as she felt the recoil she dropped the gun in shock.

"Don't let it go as soon as you fire, it could go off and injure you," Nathan warned, mostly out of pain at seeing his pistol smeared with mud. It was going to be a real pain to clean them later...

That got her attention as she immediately tensed her shoulders and stayed in that position for about a minute or two. Nathan glanced at her stoic figure, the only thing moving was her eyes. He shot her a smile that was met with a frown.

"Now!" He barked causing her to fumble around with the gun in surprise before firing.

He could see her deflate in sadness as the pumpkin lay perfectly intact, the bullet had hit the grass underneath it.

"C'mon go at it again we got time." Nathan encouraged her though it didn't do much to boost her morale. What followed proved just that.

Bullet after bullet missed to hit the moderately sized pumpkin mere meters away from her and each time she became more agitated and angry at Nathan's expression: slight disappointment and trying to hold back laughter. She gave up when she heard the gun click indicating it was empty.

"Not uh... Not bad?" Nathan wanted to complement but couldn't, it was... _pretty _bad. He felt her forcefully shove the firearm in his hands. He wiped the mud off with his hand and ejected the empty magazine.

"We're done."

"Hey c'mon, it wasn't bad, honestly. You can't expect to hit the target immediately on your first try!"

"I don't want to do this Nathan! and that wasn't my first try liar that was my _eighth_!" She corrected by pointing at the small bullet casings in the ground beneath their feet.

"Oh, you know what I meant."

Faith ignored him and made her way back inside the clinic with him following close behind.

"Seriously, _no one_ taught you how to use one of these?" He always suspected someone had to have taught her the mere basics of shooting a firearm. Maybe Jacob? That psycho was in the military, he knew more about weapons and survival than anyone in Eden's Gate.

"Why would they? I never had a need to!" Faith had been protected by her brothers and her people, she had absolutely no need to use a firearm. Even when she first joined the Project, they hadn't yet begun to resort to violence.

"You're telling me you guys never expected things could've gone south at any moment?" It didn't make sense unless Joseph was _real _sure his movement would hit it off from the start.

"I don't know! Everything went fine for years till you came along." Faith didn't mean it in an accusatory way but it was true.

"Adding on to that, didn't Joseph, Jacob or even John ever think to themselves _'Hey, I'm gonna teach my sis to defend herself in case that asshole of a Deputy comes knocking on her door!'_. Kind of irresponsible if you ask me."

"When you've got hundreds of loyal members willing to die for you at any given time, being taught self-defense is the last of your priorities." Faith answered, not liking his smug tone. "And drop the sarcasm."

"Fine I'm sorry, but c'mon, you guys had no enemies during the early days that would warrant learning self-defense or surviving?" Nathan asked.

"Of course we did but there was no violence. It was mostly other religious groups that hated Joseph." Faith leaned her body on Nathan's, allowing him to wrap his arms around her to comfort her.

"Okay, we'll drop this if you really want to. We can find something else for you to help out with if you're so adamant about wanting to do your part."

"I am but we'll think about this later."

"Sure whatever you want. I _do_ have a question that's been nagging me since you declared you were going to do your part."

"And that is?"

"What's all of this about? You never brought up any of this until recently, what gives?"

"I just wanted to stop feeling like I was a burden to you, and before you say anything_ yes, yes _I most certainly am one."

"If that's what you think, then I guess."

"There's gotta be more, you've been acting a little strange since yesterday when we went over to the grain elevator." Was it the peggies he killed? Nathan hoped she understood it was inevitable. Faith looked unsure, feeling conflicted about whether to tell him or not about the offer. He was bound to find out eventually anyway.

"Alright, I'll tell you what it is."

Faith told him of the poster she found two days ago along with the offer to return in exchange for her. His face turned from curious to confused to anger the more she told him. When she was done he stayed silent them nodding his head and walking off outside.

She followed confused by his calm reaction to something as important as this. "Well, what do you think?"

"What? About the offer? You don't seriously think I'd ever even consider it at all right? I'd have to be the world's biggest idiot to fall for this." It was almost laughable how stupid they thought he was.

"Say I _do _turn you in, what guarantees I won't be shot as soon as I do? It'd be like killing two birds with one stone." Whoever did this obviously didn't know him well enough. With how angry and hostile they were towards him, Nathan wasn't exactly jumping at the chance to run over to them no matter the offer.

_Wait a fucking minute. _What if that's the reason Hurk was adamant about bringing both of them to Falls End, so he could be in an environment he thought would be safe then _bam! _they are both gone. Now he didn't believe Drubman was cruel or smart enough to agree to something like that so what if someone else put him to it? Under the guise he was helping out his friend when unbeknownst to him he was _really _helping Nathan to an early grave.

"Aren't you tired of running?"

"I am, but I also don't want to turn you in. You're all I have left." Nathan would never consider letting her go and for what? he'd probably get killed or at the very least there would be massive tension between him and his old allies. He still didn't see the correlation between her insistence on doing her part and the offer was. Unless she thought she had to prove herself so what? He wouldn't change his mind and leave her?

"This will be over soon, we have to give it time and keep moving. Once we're out of here we'll be free to live our lives as we please." Nathan assured though he suspected she didn't really believe him. Each day the possibility of it ever happening seemed farther away.

"Just two of us?" Faith asked, doing her best not to dwell too long on the delusion. It wouldn't work that way ever, life wasn't fair to either of them.

"Yeah, wouldn't that be nice?" Nathan knew it was wrong to feed into the hope that they could ever be happy and safe together. He couldn't help it, Faith was aching for comfort and he was more than happy to provide.

Faith let her thoughts drift off to a perfect place far away from the dangers of Hope County. If only things could work out that way.

A life where they could both be happy, that did sound nice.

_

Nathan's friend's arrived sometime later during sunset. Faith stayed in the room while Nathan talked to his friends, not wanting to bring attention to herself and intrude. If Nathan was happy to see them, his tone of voice didn't show it. They talked for a while and Nathan avoided any questions about her by changing the subject anytime she was brought up. She felt a little guilty for telling him of the offer, he probably thought _they_ were now against him.

"They're gone, you can come out now!" She heard him shout minutes later. She made her way over to the reception area where Nathan was looking out the door with his rifle in his arms, underneath him several duffel bags with the elusive supplies.

"I don't see why you stayed in the room, they won't hurt you, y'know?" Nathan figured she was uncomfortable with other people that weren't him. Especially if they were affiliated with the Resistance.

"Call it a precaution." Faith answered, kissing his cheek.

"If you say so..."

Nathan started shifting through the supplies and pulled out a bottle. It was a small glass bottle and reading the label he saw it was Hope County's popular soda: Tana Cola. He had been curious about its taste for the longest time. Soda that wasn't flat was hard to come by and this looked promising.

"Hmmm, let's see if this is any good."

With an open mind and a thirst waiting to be quenched, he took a small drink. Almost immediately he wanted to spit it out and nearly did but managed to power through and swallow it.

"_This_ is Tana Cola? Christ this tastes awful!" _The fuck is this thing made of?_

It was flat, with a sort of citric flavor and it basically tasted like a run of the mill knockoff soda, except much worse. _Like a knockoff of a knockoff!_

Not at all what he had been expecting after hearing Sharky speak so highly of it. Then again that was the same man that burned down an amusement park and thought he had eyes similar to Dom's from The Fast and The Furious.

Staring at the bottle he just realized how much he missed Dr. Pepper. Hope County was as local as local could get when it came to its products.

Faith took the bottle from him and examined it. The beverage was a Hope County staple for her and many others.

"I haven't had one of these in years!" She took a light sip, ignoring Nathan's warning not to. It was a little flat, but still enjoyable.

"It tastes fine to me, you're just overreacting."

Nathan shook his head, eyeing the bottle like it was poison. "Yeah well I'm sticking to water, you can go ahead and drink the crate."

Now Nathan completely understood he had absolutely no right to be picky right now, after all, Hurk might be risking himself to bring them supplies, but the supplies he had been expecting were something akin to _real food_. Instead, there were potato chip bags and sodas, making it look less like vital supplies and more like shit for a sleepover. There were other things that were more beneficial to their health but were outnumbered by the junk food.

"It ain't what I was expecting honestly, but it'll get us through for a little while." It was all mostly things he saw Hurk and Sharky eat. He didn't exactly have any personal preferences anyway, he always ate what was available at the Jailhouse and usually in a hurry. "It's still better than nothing."

Nathan wanted to go hunting sometime later. Hopefully, the nearby fauna hadn't been wiped out by other hunters and the cult. He missed Jess's cooking, _that woman could cook a mean fucking deer._

Maybe he could convince Faith to come along. _Scratch that, she'll most definitely want to._ Not to watch him hunt of course.

He'd have to use the rifle he stole from the peggie to hunt though. Nathan never liked AR-C rifles at all. Their spray made them sort of unreliable at least to him. It wasn't that they were _completely_ useless or anything, he was just used to his AK-M and only ever used the alternative when he absolutely needed to. Of course, he had no time to be picky now, whatever was at his disposal he would gladly use and the rifle was like a godsend.

_It's a shame 7.62 isn't very common here, everyone uses 5.56 for their rifles._

"Nathan?" Faith called. He turned and saw she had a shovel in her arms. "What's with this?"

"What's with _oh..._" He realized what she meant when she turned the shovel around to the yellow smiling face drawn on it. Underneath it in the handle, it said 'Property of Dep. Rook, if found please return to him.'

"That's uh... That's mine. I didn't paint the face, honest, but it looks... nice I guess?" Nathan only ever used the shovel a total of four times, all to beat a peggie to death with it. "I bought it off this hunter in the Henbane River, call it 'Optimism'"

Nathan noticed her teasing smirk and quickly added. "Don't actually call it that that's embarrassing, just call it a shovel."

"All right I will."

Nathan knew eventually he'd have to come up with an answer to Hurk's offer to return to Falls End. They couldn't keep at it forever that much was obvious. They _could _continue their journey but he really wasn't up for it. _I know I'll have too eventually, but not yet._

For now, all he could do was hope his friends would keep their word and not reveal their location.

_

"Tell me about your friends." Faith wanted to know more about the people Nathan spent most of his time with before her. Specifically one person.

"Sure, anyone in particular or..." Nathan could start off with his best dog friend Boomer, though aside from being a good boy there wasn't much to know about him. Hurk, Sharky? Joining them in their antics proved to not be for the faint of heart. Nick? Man, he missed his old friend, he wasn't even far away but Nathan couldn't...

"Jess. I want to know more about you and her." Faith didn't want to say this was about jealousy or anything or comparing herself to the only other notable female company Nathan had but...

Nathan was a bit confused but figured there was nothing wrong with her wanting to know whatever it was she wanted, he had nothing to hide.

"Yeah sure like what?" If Nathan suspected anything he didn't show it. Faith pondered for a while, she wanted to start off slow.

"Where did you meet her?"

"In the Whitetails, a month after the Resistance and I liberated Holland Valley. Her uncle Dutch asked me to check up on her once I was in the area and I did just that. Found her locked up in one of the cages in the mill up there." Nathan smiled fondly at the memory of Jess calling him an absolute idiot for going in guns blazing instead of stealth, with him asking who the bigger idiot was for getting caught. Start of a nice albeit brief friendship.

"So you rescued her and she started following you?"

"Well no, she asked me a _very _personal favor. Granted we only knew each other for like two hours, I still felt compelled to help. I am, or was, a deputy after all." Until Sheriff Whitehorse officially fired him he had no idea what he even was anymore.

"What was that favor?"

"Did you know the Cook? one of Jacob's soldiers, big flamethrower guy." The only description he could give, he couldn't really discern many features after Jess flung an arrow that hit the fuel tank on his back, scorching him and his nearby allies.

"Yes, I never spoke to him but I saw him around Jacob sometimes." If Faith remembered correctly he was one of Jacob's top soldiers and was spoken highly of by her brother. Compliments from him were rare so he must've been doing something right.

"Well, he uh... he murdered her family and she wanted nothing but revenge." Nathan understood 'murder' was putting it _extremely_ lightly, his intention wasn't to downplay what Jess went through, but he couldn't say what the peggie did out of genuine disgust.

"Well in the end she did, and she offered me help in return for helping _her. _Initially, I declined because I wanted to give her time to y'know process everything. Apparently, she didn't need it."

"We... I don't want to say we hit it off _immediately, _but I think she liked me better than she did other people. Mainly because I didn't exactly talk much." Nathan remembered that talk they had in the Elk Lodge when they liberated it. She agreed to be his friend on the condition that trust was to never be broken.

"With her and the Militia's help we dismantled Jacob's little operation, not without some important casualties..." The death of Eli Palmer would stay Nathan for the rest of his days. "We briefly parted ways after that, she stayed in the mountains while I made my way over to the Henbane, _over to you._"

"I did most of the work alone, and I had been doing fine until my little incident at the hotel." Faith noticed his hand wander slightly on the wound where a bullet had grazed him. "What should've been a simple in an out mission was everything but that..."

"My arm got grazed by an LMG round and a rocket exploded so close to me I'm surprised I made it out with all of my limbs intact." Faith remembered seeing him after he left the hotel as a hallucination. Even in her anger at his actions she still saw how distracted and shocked he looked that day. Completely ignored her and just walked to the jailhouse, she disappeared after receiving no response.

"In a moment of surreal clarity, I realized just how stupid I was being for working alone and so did my boss." The sarcasm was delivered so flat and deadpanned Faith knew it was more self-hatred than anything.

He continued. "He ordered me to at least bring another person along to watch my back and who better than the person that did so back at the Whitetails?" While Sharky and Hurk were both capable fighters, Jess had a lot more skill than either or anyone else for that matter.

"She immediately agreed, itching to get back to where the action was after the lack of it back at the mountains. We eventually dismantled _your_ operations and then I set off to confront you and save the Sheriff. The rest is as they say history."

"Still, I owe a lot to her. She saved my life more times than I can remember. A notable one being the time we were camping at night and were caught off guard by a peggie convoy. It was the same day I received two stab wounds thanks to my stupid decision of fighting a peggie who I thought was unarmed." Nathan laughed softly.

"What should have been a simple fistfight went awry as my stomach was punctured by a butcher knife the peggie had strapped to him. Jess went ballistic on the poor sap, unsatisfied with only snapping his neck she nearly beheaded the guy with _her _knife!"

"She practically carried me all the way to the jailhouse after that. Later chewing me out for being irresponsible." Well, Jess used her colorful vocabulary to describe his actions calling him a real stupid asshole. He had to agree.

"She was the person I trusted the most and well... well I blew it. Whatever friendship we had built is gone." Nathan knew keeping Faith alive wouldn't have gone well with Jess, he fucking knew it and he still went through with it. Her reaction, while brash, was more than justified.

When he learned of the beating he gave her he confronted her the same day. It didn't end well, there was shouting and her asking if he was all there if Faith had done something to his head. He understood she felt betrayed, he really did, but to accuse him of having sex with Faith? A little too far-reaching and insulting at the time.

In the end, their argument ended with a "fuck you asshole" from her and a "likewise" from him. He wouldn't see her again for two weeks when he saw her with the mob outside Faith's cell the day of their escape.

He stayed silent for a few minutes and then turned back to her. "Any more questions?"

Faith decided to change the questions to avoid making him feel bad and her feelings of slight defeat at bay.

"Did you have an idea of how bad things were going to get?"

"Dissatisfaction I had expected, I'd have to be naive not to, but death threats and eventual exile? Never in a million years. I don't regret what I did, _could I have gone about it differently?_ Maybe, but you were very injured then and options were extremely limited." And by very injured he meant he shot her twice and smacked her face several times with his rifle. With the intent to kill. He didn't know honestly if he was actually damaging her in any way when they fought. The only indication he did were her muffled shouts and her voice becoming increasingly strained as they fought. It could've easily been part of the Bliss for all he knew.

"It was then when I had my falling out with Jess. We had very different ideas on how to deal with you. She wanted you dead and I didn't." It was more complicated than that but Faith understood.

"You wanted information on the Father right?" Faith was well aware that was the main reason she was saved, he made it clear after she had been treated for her injuries.

"Information I knew you would have never given me, even when we became friends..." Nathan added, at the time she wasn't relenting or giving up anything. He knew _now_ he'd be given any information but to what use? He couldn't do anything with it.

"How do you know? You never asked even after you made it clear that was the only reason I was still alive" Faith didn't want to say she was angry because she wasn't. If anything she appreciated his honesty, it didn't matter how much it hurt.

"I was biding my time, hoping you would eventually be comfortable around me to say something."

"And when I did?"

"It would've been too late, my relationship with the Resistance was already going down the drain," Nathan answered, feeling slightly ashamed. "I wasn't gonna get rid of you had you told me everything y'know? I made a promise to you to keep you safe."

"I remember..." And how could she ever forget the main reason they were on the run. What he originally meant by 'keeping her safe' was to keep the Resistance away from her till everything was over. Once that was done he'd let the judicial system deal with her in whatever way they saw fit. Faith was well aware that the meaning might have changed now.

"Well, then you remember me telling you I intend to see it through."

"I do..."

.

After minutes of comfortable silence, and completely unexpectedly, Faith rested her body on his and began to kiss him, catching him slightly off guard.

"Hey what are you doing!?" His surprise was both amplified and silenced as she places her lips on his. They tasted a bit like mint and tangy aftertaste of the soda.

Nathan caught on to what she was insinuating by her actions and chuckled. He didn't expect such quick initiative from her, especially not so soon.

"Wait let me..." Nathan readjusted himself under her so he wasn't leaning to his left side. "There we go."

_How long has it been? Two days? _It felt like it had been longer honestly. Nathan was gently pushed down by Faith who was straddling him now.

"Shhh, just relax..." Her voice was soft though it felt more like a command than anything else. He, of course, complied, running his fingers through her waist and hips.

Faith tossed whatever it was she held in her hand to the floor. Glancing briefly at it he noticed the lace and immediately picked up on what it was. _That was bold_, _and unexpected from her._

"So, you want to do this?" Nathan asked receiving a timid nod in response, all previous initiative seemingly gone.

The truth was she was scared. Faith didn't want to disappoint hence the braveness. Thankfully for her, Nathan was nothing but patient.

If there was one place where either felt comfort it was in each other's arms. Distractions were hard to come by these days, the looming threat of everything always kept them on edge. Forgetting their problems was impossible, they could ignore them but they were always there waiting.

So what was the best thing to do? Put them aside for just a little while till the blissful ache of release dissipated and the euphoria of their lovemaking wore off.

**AN: So this one was early, I want to keep it that way but who knows. I wanted to post this yesterday but I got caught up finishing Ghost Recon: Wildlands, good stuff** **but a bit repetitive.**

**_Tana Cola? _For as good of a job Ubisoft did with FC5, naming certain things wasn't their strong suit as evidenced by the soda name.**

**I hope you enjoyed if not, well damn... **


	20. A Way Out

Faith was no stranger to nightmares. Past and recent events brought loads of them and she had one almost every night. They ranged from her parents and their brutal beatings, Joseph's punishment when Nathan destroyed her Bible and a particularly terrifying one being that of Nathan up and leaving her. That one was by far the worst.

Almost every night she would wake up and tightly grip him to calm down and remember that he was still there, and he wasn't leaving. It seemed to annoy him at first, being woken up, completely disorientated, to have to comfort her till she fell back to sleep but he soon understood and kept quiet. It quickly became routine for them.

Sometimes it was her that needed comfort and sometimes it was him, hardly did it matter because their unspoken agreement to be there for one another always gave the same result. Though in Nathan's case he never uttered a word or opened up about what was bothering him, he would only wake up panting heavily and sweating, tell her nothing was wrong then fall back to sleep. His stubbornness was as annoying as it was admirable.

It wasn't anything new, troubled sleep was something both had experienced for a long time.

Sometimes Nathan resorted to sleeping on the floor to give her space or he'd be up incredibly early. In those times she'd have nothing and no one to hold and would resort to crying herself to sleep after repressed memories haunted her dreams.

"So I noticed you're always up extremely early, what for?" Faith asked Nathan, glancing at the clock she saw it was barely six in the morning. She couldn't even see his face in the darkness.

"Blame it on the people here. The folks here don't have a daily commute anymore, at least one that doesn't consist of rebuilding their homes and shooting us on sight." Nathan told her. "So you'll pretty much see them at all hours of the day."

"I see that, and it seems that rubbed off on you too."

"God, you have no idea how much I despised working at night. Sure I get the stealth approach, but I could barely keep my eyes open most of the time."

"Why didn't you talk to someone, I'm sure they would've understood."

"Couple months ago, I didn't give a crap at what time I fought or where, as long as I knew that it would all be over, I was more than happy to do it." Nathan responded. "I guess the same applies to now, except I'm not sure _if _this will be over."

"It can be Nathan..." Faith laid her head on his shoulder. "We just have to give it time."

Nathan pulled away at smirked at her. "Look at you being so positive, that's good to see."

"I've had a great influence." Faith giggled and wrapped her arms around him. The warmth their bodies radiated making her slightly drowsy.

"You have? I wonder who it was?"

"I think you know him actually, he's tall, handsome dark hair and blue eyes." She would pause after each word to kiss his lips. Nathan smiled at her affection.

"Yeah, Clutch Nixon was a real looker wasn't he?"

Faith bursted out laughing. _God_, he missed that noise. He hadn't heard it since... the night before. In bed. Somewhere between her first and second climax.

"I'll be right back." Nathan stood up and left the room towards the bathroom to clean himself.

Nathan closed the door and glanced at the mirror to give himself a much needed reassessment. Ignoring the small love bites on his neck he seemed to be doing much better than in previous days, and by that he meant he no longer looked as disheveled and unkempt as before.

_Not looking too bad Rook, not bad at all..._

He chuckled softly at his compliment. He still felt he looked like shit, except now he was presentable shit. Exiting the bathroom he walked over to the supplies which were still full, though that was only because he still barely ate anything.

_Better eat something before I die or worse Faith gets angry at me..._

Moving several of the items around, he found a bag of packaged dry meat. _Great, _Nathan complained to himself, _didn't really miss this._

_It's not even the regular kind!_ Reading the label he realized that it was honeyed, which to him sounded rather unappetizing but it would have to do. Being picky wasn't an option. Glancing back at the bag something caught his eye. Reaching down to grab the cigarettes he laughed quietly.

_Kyrati Royals? _He remembered Hurk talking about the specific brand he first encountered during his travels to some country in the Himalayas. _Must be the only of it's kind in Hope County._

"Pack of smokes? not exactly what I had in mind when I asked for supplies." Though he didn't know what to expect from those two.

"What are you doing?" Faith called to him from behind.

"Looking at our stuff, seems like those two really didn't know what to pack and just dumped whatever they could find. I still appreciate it a lot but..."

He turned to her and his eyes met hers for only a second before drifting downwards to her exposed breasts. She was wearing nothing but her underwear. "... It wasn't... necessary..."

"...To pack this..." His voice faltered at the end. Nathan wondered why he was acting this way, it wasn't like he hadn't seen them before.

_Play it cool Nate, we literally had sex hours ago._

"Bit cold today to be so exposed don't you think?" Though he was _more _than fine with it, he could see her slightly shivering. It was odd for a morning to be as cool as it was right now, in the middle of summer.

"It's fine, I've been longing for it to be as cool as it is today, I only wish it carries on through the rest of the day."

"Yeah sure, anyways I was talking about these bad boys" He waved the small carton of cigarettes "In case you need a stress reliever."

Nathan didn't think he needed them, first off he was a man free of any vice. Drinking? Rarely did he do it enough to get inebriated. Gambling? He was no degenerate, at least not in that way. Nathan didn't feel like he was at an age where any addictions could take their hold on him. Or he actually was, but his position as junior deputy, as well as common sense kept them far away.

"You ever smoked?" He asked curious to know if she had at any point. He guessed she had to have done it when she was younger.

"Several times but that was long ago back when, well you know..." Faith went quiet, doing her best to keep the bad memories away but it was too late. "What about you?"

"Same thing as you but and under different circumstances." Nathan was a very impressionable kid growing up, so when he was offered some by the local troublemakers, it was hard to refuse. _Anything to look cool I guess..._

"Stopped around the time I joined the football team, had a little intervention with my parents. I remember my mom saying she didn't raise a chain-smoker." Nathan felt she was heavily exaggerating at the time, not only were cigarettes hard to come by at his age but the appeal immediately wore off after the first.

"Seems my favorite Deputy isn't the saint I thought he was."

"Shit, have you ever been threatened with military school? I wasn't gonna get sent to one if I could avoid it." He told her as he stared at the pack with a deep of anticipation. _I want one don't I?_ He did.

What was so alluring about the small carton of cigarettes _now_ that made him want to light one up? Was it the much talked about promise of early morning stress release that nothing else could provide? Or was it a call back to his teenage years of being a snot nosed rebel who thought he was some sort of class act by smoking?

There was yet to be a clear answer but Nathan was intent on finding out.

"Nope, but I'm sure you would've been fine."

"Maybe but I still wasn't will be to take my chances. Had to stay clean all these years and I'm proud of it" The urge to smoke one only grew stronger. He pretended to place the carton back in the bag but quickly hid it in the sleeve of his jacket.

"Hey, I'll be right back, I gotta go look for something outside." Not giving her the chance to ask what, Nathan gave her a quick kiss and ran outside into the woods surrounding the clinic.

Making sure she hadn't followed and that he was at a reasonable distance from the clinic Nathan placed the so-called "cancer stick" between his lips and reached for his lighter to light it up. Taking a small drag he immediately felt something. The nicotine was sure doing its work as almost instantly he felt his problems fade away and nostalgia hit him like a sack of bricks.

_When was the last time I did this? Six years ago maybe?_ Grateful his parents weren't the type to resort to a beating for his misbehaving, Nathan ever stopped only because his crying mother asked him to. It was that easy to guilt him to anything.

"Can't believe I'm blaming my parents, Christ what a real piece of work am I..." He resorted to talking to himself to avoid arguing with his own conscious. Of course he didn't need to engage it, it always reared its ugly head at any time.

_It's__ how a certain someone managed to wrap you around her fi- Stop._ Whatever the thought was he wasn't going to let it finish.

The light burning in his throat urged him to get the smoke out and do it again once more. And so he did, several more times till the tobacco was nothing but ashes and his curiosity gone.

"And here I thought I put this behind me." He couldn't help it. Stressed out of his mind, all he wanted was some relief.

He contemplated lighting up another one but decided against it, _you got your break pal, it's time to go back to your little sweetheart, ain't that cute Nate?_ _You two are perfect for each other. _

"_Shut the fuck up._" He whispered to no one. That voice in his head was getting awfully annoying as of late. All he wanted was to smoke a cigarette, couldn't he at least have that? _No._

Well in that case _t__his__ was nice, never again though. _He wasn't in the mood for arguing with himself.

_Because you know I'm right..._

He flicked the cigarette butt away, stepping on it to make sure he didn't burn the entire valley down. For as much as he resented the people of Hope County, arson wasn't the way to go about things.

Placing the small carton back in his pocket Nathan made his way back to the clinic. Maybe it was time they left and continued their escape.

_No, she's still not prepared. Things were definitely gonna get from bad to much worse when we hit the road again so it was essential she knew the basics of y'know, __NOT DYING._

So waiting it was. _Great..._

There was no use in complaining; Nathan knew if he really wanted to leave the clinic they would have done it as soon as his leg had healed, quite possibly even before that. He didn't because he was too caught up with being useless himself

_I'm__ getting real sick and tired of doing nothing._ Sadly, he knew things were going to have to stay that way, at least for a little longer. In the meantime he'd have to find something to entertain himself with, something to keep the guilt and doubt at bay.

_

Nathan glanced at Faith walking a few feet behind. He shot her a smile that was met with her own sweet, innocent one.

_Why_ _am I making this more difficult for myself?_

When he told her he was going to go and hunt something he had expected her to simply acknowledge it and stay in the clinic. Instead she latched on to his arm and asked him to lead the way. Not exactly what he was expecting...

Nathan continued walking, periodically glancing behind to see if she was keeping up with his pace and she was. Like always.

They walked up the hill next to the clinic, passing through the unmarked grave that lay undisturbed despite everything. There was no name, nothing except the small wooden cross and a few flowers surrounding the soil. Another unnecessary casualty of Eden's Gate and their holy crusade. It shouldn't have bothered him as much as it was now, after all Hope County was littered with small shrines like these honoring the brave people who fought tooth and nail for their homes, but this specific one rubbed him off the wrong way. Was it the lack of identification? Was it the thought of a death he could've prevented somehow? or was it the fact that one of the reasons for this person's death was walking with him? He went with the second one.

Stepping past it they neared the top of the hill, suddenly he heard the distant roaring of a plane up above. Glancing at the sky he immediately recognized the pale yellow Kimberlite HP. It was hard not to notice it.

_Nick's first love..._

Though wary at first, Nathan knew there was a very slim chance of Nick having actually seen them. They were very well covered by the trees and the thick bushes. It seemed he was heading straight home to his family. Soon the hydroplane became a small smudge in the early morning sky.

It didn't stop how on edge he was though; every time he heard a gunshot no matter how far away it was, he'd raise his rifle around all directions hoping to find source. He knew Faith thought he looked like an idiot and to be honest he thought so too.

"The gunshots sound pretty far away, don't you think you're overreacting a little bit?"

"Maybe, but in case they _aren't_ far away we won't be caught off guard."

"I heavily doubt any of them are meant for us, they have no idea we are even here."

"You can never be too sure, especially now."

"You're right."

They continued walking through the woods with Nathan scanning their surroundings and Faith humming to herself a few feet behind him. The light footfall of her footsteps meant she was still walking at a pace close to his, maybe a bit behind but no need to turn to her and check. _She can leave, I'm sure as hell not going to stop her if she wants to_. _Does she think I'm gonna get angry if she does?_

He would've preferred if she _had _stayed back at the clinic, no offense to her but he just wanted some time alone.

_Should I tell her? __That I don't find myself as committed to WHATEVER the fuck this thing is I have with her like I used to?_

He wasn't implying he'd leave her, but he'd rather keep whatever weird dynamic they had out of the formula.

"Hey, I uh... Y'know you could've stayed back to the clinic if you wanted to right? It's not gonna be very eventful or anything, even _if _I find something."

"I'm fine, I just want to be out here with you."

Her devotion was flatteringly painful.

"Alright." He responded, throwing her a quick smile and ignoring the guilt building up inside him.

Eventually he found tracks that lead him to a small clearing at the top of the hill. Looking back he could see a sizeable chunk of Holland Valley from the top. Cars driving around, other planes taking off and the short flashes of gunfire through the trees. Scanning the area they were at he quickly found what he was looking for. A seemingly lonely deer yards in front of him. He signaled at Faith to keep low as he approached the animal as quietly as possible. It hadn't noticed him thankfully and as he got closer Nathan could see it wasn't alone. A young fawn was laying a feet away from its mother.

Nathan ignored the small deer and focused on the doe, which was blissfully ignorant of its impending demise. He clicked off the automatic option to semi, not wanting to waste too much ammunition. The animals hadn't noticed the near silent click of the switch rotating. They were in their own world, enjoying the nutrition the green grass offered them.

Aiming the rifle directly at the doe's neck, Nathan held his breath. He knew that if he missed and that deer was gone faster than he could ever move to take another shot.

_Steady, and... fire!_

It was a direct hit and the killing blow he was looking for. He watched as the doe made agonizing noises of pain as blood kept pouring out. Kicking around wildly in an attempt to try and stop the pain. The fawn it had mothered ran immediately as soon as it heard the sound of his rifle.

Nathan approached the fallen animal and saw it was still twitching painfully. One final shot to the neck solved that. "And that's that."

"That was its young wasn't it?" Faith asked, referring to the young deer that had run off. Her voice nearly made him jump, he had genuinely forgotten she was with him.

"Yeah, it looks like it." Nathan flung the deer in his shoulders, it was heavy but not heavy enough for him to topple over. He handed his rifle over to Faith who took it without giving it a glance still focused on the young deer.

"It's going to die by itself isn't it?"

"I'm sure it's fine, looked big enough. If not then I guess that's just how life works." If she was looking for any remorse or sympathy from him she wasn't going to find it. Nathan killed people without so much as a second thought, he certainly wasn't going to loose any sleep over a deer. "C'mon we need to head back."

Faith's gaze lingered on the path the young fawn had taken. "The poor thing, it still has its spots."

Nathan didn't immediately respond to her, he was too preoccupied with his internal argument and avoiding blood spilling on him. Once the neck of the dead doe was far away from him he turned back to her. "What do you mean spots, the one's on its fur?"

"Yes. The fawn still had them meaning it wasn't fully grown. It wasn't ready to depart from its mother." She nodded over to the deer Nathan had on his shoulders.

"Where did you learn this?"

"Little things you learn here and there, and I thought you knew."

"I didn't till now. I've hardly ever hunted anything that didn't want me dead first. Anything I know is from friends here." Prior to his arrival at Hope County, he had never hunted anything. He had gone on hunting trips with his grandfather before he passed away but Nathan never managed to kill anything. It was always up to old man Stanley to hunt any game successfully.

Jess always made fun of him for being cautious of the wildlife in the county. Having a rational fear of dangerous animals didn't sit well with her.

_Well, she called me a pussy for being scared of a wandering bear. Like who in their right mind wouldn't? It's a FUCKING bear!_ Anyone would be rightfully cautious.

"You learn something new everyday I guess."

"Yeah, I'll be sure to apply this newfound knowledge next time I'm hunting things to keep myself alive..." He began walking in the direction of the clinic with the deer bouncing each step he took.

"This was nice, we should do it again sometime."

"Sure, maybe it'll be _you _who carries one of these around, _after_ you kill it."

"I don't think so, I'll leave that up to you. I don't want blood all over my dress, _again_." The stains were gone, after she spent a whole day cleaning them off. "Don't think I've forgiven you for scaring me to death back then."

"Ain't nothing that can't be washed, plus I apologized for that. _Twice..._"

"It's going to take a bit more than that to make up for it."

"_Is it now?_ Well, let me get this thing out of the way," He patted the deer's side. "Then we'll see how I can make things right." Nathan knew he was only worsening things and yet he still did it.

_Never was one to learn my lessons, at least not the first time 'round..._

_

_Aren't you tired of running?_

Faith's question echoed in his head, initially he had dismissed it, but now it was all he could think of. Of course he was tired, he didn't want to keep doing this but where could they go? Back to the Henbane River? An early death _would_ relieve him of his problems but that still left Faith vulnerable. Whitetails? Same as the Henbane. Falls End? Nope.

He still had friends who were willing to help him out but it was pointless. How could their help clear his name, better question was why the sudden change of heart? Obviously a ploy to kill him somewhere where he felt safe. Or was it?

Too many questions, and no definitive answers, that was the way things went now.

Why was he the one to be plagued with guilt?

_Technically_, he did nothing wrong. If anything, the people were in the wrong not because they wanted Faith dead, but because the lumped him in as well. Nathan was a Junior Deputy and the very definition of the law.

_Or as much as I can be, being a good ol' ticket maid_.

Regardless, what they were doing was illegal and they could be arrested. Problem was no one gave a shit, his title carried little to no importance to the townfolk. He could be the damn senator of Montana and the outcome still wouldn't have changed.

_These people endured far worse at the hands of her and her family and for far longer. So forgiveness for her was never a possibility you fucking asshole._

He wasn't and would never asked for their forgiveness, to have ever implied that to them would've been incredibly disrespectful and then would they be justified to have gone ape shit like they did.

_You were technically expecting them to forgive her..._

No, he _was_ expecting them to put their anger aside and let him do his job, _what he was here for._

And to top things off, now he found himself questioning the morality of what they were doing. _Is it really time for me to be having a moral dilemma, not it's not. _He couldn't help it though, and it wasn't that he was scared of the reperccusions it could bring but rather something else...

What they did they did without protection, and well... Nathan didn't feel he needed to further emphasize the consequences. He needed to make her understand that as well.

Though what was the point? At the end of the day, no matter how much he felt what they were doing was wrong, he'd end up back with her in bed.

Lost in thought, Nathan walked over to the supplies where the radio was stashed. He didn't know what he was doing, and he didn't care. Nathan pulled out the radio from the bag, it looked functional and he assumed was meant as a way for him and his friend's to communicate while they were away. He was tempted to but refrained from doing so

He had to try to make contact with someone else, before things went wrong once more. Switching it on he tuned into a channel he hadn't used in a _long _time, last time he had spoken to that particular person was two days before his confrontation with Faith. She asked him what he planned on doing after the mess was over and he never gave her a definitive answer.

The static dissipated and then came a rather loud voice.

_"This is Addie at the Drubman marina, no relation with the deadbeat at the fort, who's callin'?"_

"Mrs. Drubman... It's uh, it's me."

_"Me who? Who's callin!? Hurk I told you I ain't giving you MY damn Marina back you old son of a bitch! So you and your lawyers can stop callin'!"_

"No I'm not Hurk Senior, it's me Mrs. Drubman, _Deputy Rook_..." He didn't know why he whispered the last part. He heard a gasp and a _"holy shit!" _from the other line.

_"Prove it..."_

"Okay, so remember that time I nearly crashed Tulip? It was the day we met? You told me Clutch Nixon could do better and he was, quote, _fucking_ dead."

_"Remember? Sugar that was the first and last time I ever let you handle my beautiful chopper!"_ Her loud laugh pierced at his ears causing him to flinch away from the radio.

_"Deputy do you know the shitstorm you caused in the Henbane? Everyone's out for your blood and your boss and co-workers can't seem to do shit to stop it!"_ Gone was the hearty laughter, worry with a hint of anger replaced it.

"Yeah, I know... things uh, well they could've gone better right?" _Boy did that sound fucking stupid!_

_"Damn right they could've! Wait, where__ are you Dep, you're not still in the Henbane are ya'?"_

"No, I left weeks ago. I'm at..._ I can trust you right?_" Asking her probably wasn't the best way to go about it but Nathan felt he couldn't be too sure.

_"Didn't see me with the mob that day did ya', relax Deputy I'll keep shut."_ She had a point there, she _hadn't_ been trying to kill Faith when she learned she was alive. Could've just been because she was busy with her marina.

"I'm in Holland Valley, I'm here with _her_." Her name didn't need to be spoken, Adelaide understood well enough who he was referring to.

_"So you are... I don't know WHAT possessed you to do what you did that day but I'm not one to judge, least not as much as everyone else here. So what'd ya' call me for, doubt it was just to say hi?"_

"I need your help, Mrs. Drubman. Things haven't gone smoothly here in the Valley either and I'm getting desperate."

_"So you need my help? alright... and stop calling me Mrs. Drubman would ya', you're making me feel old!"_

"Sorry about that, and yeah... I don't know how long it'll be till they find us. Your son and nephew already know where I am." Now more than ever he expected to see his old allies rush into the clinic guns blazing. It hadn't happened yet, but he sure as hell was counting on it.

_"Shit, then you're not exactly safe there Deputy, those two idiots can't keep a darn secret for shit, 'specially Victor!"_ Her warning only reinforced the fact that they weren't safe here at all.

_Well, you don't know of his crush on you... _Nathan wanted to say but kept shut. "Yeah, those two..." It felt wrong to bad-mouth the only two people willing to go out of their way and help him.

_"A favor for a favor Deputy, that's how I roll. If you want me to help you out you're gonna have to do your part when ya' get here_."

What she meant Nathan had no idea, _H__elp around the marina? cleaning boats and stuff maybe?_

"Alright. Just give me a week to prepare alright? I still need to do some things around here, then I'll head over."

_"Let's hope you're still living by then, alright honey Adelaide out."_

"Wait wait wait, your people at the marina, how are you gonna deal with them?"

_"The folks here, while not jumping in joy at your decisions, don't share the hostility the rest of the Cougars do. You will have to do some explaining to them and me though."_

That sounded like the absolute worst.

"_Sure_, I can do that. Alright later, and... Thank you Mrs. Drubman, I mean it." It was nice to see not everyone wanted him deader than dead, he could live with more of that. A little explaining would do no harm, at least he hoped it wouldn't.

_"Don't mention it honey, I'll keep in contact."_

The line cut off leaving Nathan with a sense of urgency, if they wanted out of the valley the had to go _now._ It was time to ditch the clinic and the possible safehaven that Falls End could've been.

_What am I gonna tell them? __Should I lie and say I will and then run? Yeah, I'll do that... _Before Hurk and Sharky slipped and ended up revealed everything to whoever it was they were with, him and Faith would be out of the valley by then.

They had enough supplies to last them till they made it to the marina. It was the ever present dangers between them and there that he felt Faith had to be prepared for. It was easier leaving because they weren't far away from Holland Valley _and _they had a means of transportation. Now, not only did they have to go back into the fire and the truck was nearly out of gas.

_Well, we don't HAVE to... _but Nathan wanted to, whatever could get them out of the county the quickest he'd take. A part of him wanted to tell her to gather their supplies because they were leaving but he knew she was both not ready, and would be adamant about trying to do her part. So they had a week, that's all the time Nathan had to teach her what he could. It wasn't going to be easy but then again, nothing in his life had ever been simple. He only had to figure out how to get her to commit to doing so.

First thing he had to do was sort certain things out with her, _how _exactly he would do that he'd have to figure out and quick.

**AN: Yay Adelaide's here, she will be more prominent in the upcoming chapters for obvious reasons but that doesn't mean we're done with the other Guns For Hire.** **No sir.**

**Made it to twenty chapters. I had honestly lost some (a lot of) interest around chapter 6-ish which was one that took me almost two weeks to post. I was going to leave this story on hold for who knows how long but thankfully that wasn't, and won't be, the case.**

**I know recent ones (this one included) haven't gone up in the schedule that they used to either, ****and I apologize for that.** **This one, I'll admit kinda (heavily) sucked.**

**One more thing I nearly squealed when Volition confirmed they are working on a new Saints Row.**


	21. Voice of Conflict

**_Man, do__ I hate my lack of upload schedule..._**

**___**

Living in the shadow of a life once bleeding with simplicity and normality was something Nathan longed to return to. Life was no doubt boring before but he kinda-definitely-missed it. His job as Junior Deputy was a normal job nothing special; most action he ever saw was the average high-speed chase.

So not as glamorous as I made police work out to be, but not boring. Just because it wasn't as exciting as he had anticipated didn't mean he didn't enjoy it, he did. _No other reason I'd stick around the department for as long as I have, or had._

Now? Things were very different, but they were also very similar. In both situations did a group fo individuals want him dead but unlike a few months ago, he had no help whatsoever. Also, he couldn't show his face anywhere if he didn't want to be on the receiving end of a .45...

_So maybe the similarities were few and far between, but they were still there..._

A beautiful voice he had grown accustomed to interrupted his thoughts.

"How much longer?"

_That's the third time she asks that... _

"We'll get there when we get there..." Nathan responded in mild annoyance.

Trudging through the summer heat wasn't in the list of Nathan's favorite pastimes, and being bombarded with a barrage of questions wasn't helping the growing migraine he had. Their destination wasn't very far but to his exasperated self, it seemed like it was miles away. He could see it... _somewhat?_. Nathan didn't know, the blazing heat was making the edges of his vision blurry.

Robert's cabin was their waypoint, after being cooped up so long in the clinic Nathan was ready to leave that place. That and there were several target practice items they could use in their destination. Nathan knew that going deeper into Holland Valley was counterproductive to what he and Adelaide had agreed on but he still had time.

Of course, he had to let Faith know.

Before they left the clinic he made sure they took everything needed so that meant that anyone seeking to use any medical supplies would be in for a world of disappointment. Not done out of malice of course, but out of necessity.

"Okay."

He could hear Faith panting next to him, it was evident she way more tired than he was. They weren't that far from where they were going so resting for a little while would make no sense.

It actually would but Nathan just wanted to get there without interruptions.

Nathan felt disgusted by the perspiration building up but couldn't do anything to stop it. With one hand linked with Faith's and the other holding his weapon, not much could be done to wipe away the sweat.

"This heat's unbearable isn't it?"

"It ain't that bad." That was a lie, it was awful. He felt tired and the walk wasn't even that long when compared to his previous ones. It was probably the lack of eating or drinking anything, after all not a single part of his body felt even relatively healthy. His feet were killing him, his arms were probably far more tired than he was, the migraine was also killing him and he felt sick.

Nathan felt Faith's hand on his forehead and suddenly became very self-conscious of the sweat that layered it. The laugh that followed didn't help either.

"Not that bad huh? You're such a bad liar."

"Well I didn't say it was pleasant did I? Besides, I don't see why you're complaining, you knowingly still wore your dress this morning after I told you where we were going."

"I woke up to you packing things and telling me we were leaving while you were half-dressed, you honestly expected me to take you seriously."

Maybe telling her immediately after they woke up from their nightly fling wasn't the most romantic (or normal) of ways to start the day.

"I'm known for my boyish good looks, not my smooth talk." Nathan knew he wasn't very good at the whole love schtick, hell even comforting other people was a bit out of his _own_ comfort zone.

"Yeah, _I know_..." Faith deadpanned. She laughed at his mock hurt expression.

"I didn't think it would be _this _bad, and that jacket of yours isn't heat resistant."

"Was it the black that gave it away? Besides, you don't hear me complaining do you?" He wasn't complaining because much like her, Nathan knowingly wore it despite the heat. If only because he lost his holster and he needed to hold his pistol somewhere.

"Once we get there I'm locking myself in the shower for a while." A nice, cold shower sounded like heaven to Faith, _hmmm,_ _maybe I could get Nathan to join-_ Her increasingly pleasant idea was interrupted.

"About that_..._" Nathan was ready to disappoint, that seemed to be his calling after all.

"What?"

"Nothing... We're almost there don't worry."

"_Nathan..." _

"Okay, so there might not be any showers... or an indoor restroom for that matter."

"Then there's nothing!?" Faith didn't want to spend who knows how long covered in sweat, it was gross and unpleasant.

"No, not _nothing._ There_ is_ an outhouse... and a small lake nearby though, so it's not all heartaches and raindrops." _Or is it teardrops? __Who fucking cares._

"Does the outhouse at least have a door? I'm not going to the restroom out in the open Nathan..."

"I have no damn clue, I was only in that place once when I was running away from some of John's men." Nathan responded, covering up the fact that he knew the outhouse didn't have anything in the way of privacy and that a window of the cabin directly faced it.

"The Deputy running away? Color me surprised!" Faith joked, apparently forgetting about her bathroom perils.

"Alright, so maybe 'running away' wasn't the best way to put it, _tactical retreat _is the better term. I had no ammo and they had loads to spare."

"What happened?" Her curiosity piqued, she always was admittedly fascinated at Nathan's ability to surpass what to many others seemed like the impossible.

Noting they were fast approaching the cabin but still had enough time Nathan nodded slightly and began telling her of the incident.

"So me and two other Resistance soldiers were cleaning up the Strickland farm grounds when we were ambushed by a patrol truck. They were reinforcements called in by the cultists we took out in the farm."

"Because they caught us off guard, the three of us weren't able to hold them off, especially with the mounted LMG they had." If memory served him right, that happened within the first month of him being in Holland Valley. "Thank god that grain silo had thick enough walls to cover us."

"I managed to kill one of them, the one manning the machine gun, but by then the two guys that were with me were dead and I was out of ammo." Hours prior to him being in the farm, Nathan had been in another scuffle with cultists at the Copperhead rail yard.

"I managed to run past the truck and to the direction of the cabin I had no idea existed. Once there I looked around for anything I could use to keep myself alive. Found nothing but dented silverware and a broken chair leg."

Nathan stopped and eyed their surroundings, not fearing the possibility of being spotted but wary of the wildlife. Cougars and several other aggressive animals ran rampant in the area. Finding nothing they resumed their walking.

"They found me pretty quickly and started shooting through the windows desperate to kill me." Nathan continued, momentarily letting go of her hand to wipe away the sweat that had been building in his palm. "They weren't aware I dry out of ammo, otherwise they would've just barged in and shot me."

"How did you make it out?" Faith asked, reclaiming his hand to her's.

"By pure luck someone had heard the shots and rushed to help. Three against six was a losing battle for the peggies. Surprisingly I wasn't hit once."

They walked in silence before Nathan spoke again.

"So I stayed there for the night, way too tired to even consider going back to Falls End. I know, sleeping around that much broken glass and chipped wood couldn't possibly be comfortable, but as soon as my body hit the bed I didn't wake up till noon the next day."

Looking back he could've asked the soldiers for a ride, they wouldn't have said no. _Eh, must've been the adrenaline..._

"I can see the cabin." Faith pointed at the small home hidden between the trees. "Finally..." She sighed, relieved they were out of the sunlight.

The only thing on Nathan's mind was the choice he had. He could keep pretending everything would work out and that there was a chance at starting over again for him and Faith, together like they wanted, or he could risk it all once more and accept the helping hand he was being offered by his friends.

One thing he knew for certain was that he couldn't let Faith keep on with the illusion that things were guaranteed to work out in the end. He hated the fact that he'd have to burst her bubble but it was for the best. Then maybe the disappointment would be bearable for her, then maybe she wouldn't hate him.

Nathan could live with being a failure, he had been doing fine enough already.

There didn't seem to be an upside to things for them. Life just wasn't far for either, but Faith didn't seem to be aware, either that or she was so devoted to him that she didn't care.

_Thing's WILL work out, we just have to give it time_

No, no they weren't. Nathan couldn't bring himself to even attempt to believe in the illusion. It wasn't real, and it would probably never be.

_

Since Jess's sudden departure to the Henbane River, the search for Nathan and Faith had slowed down. Not because of any loss of interest or importance, everyone knew the severity of things, but the intrusion of everyday life hampered any commitment to searching them non-stop.

Everyone had different motives that drove them to help Nathan or kill him. Some made it known others kept quiet, it didn't matter in the end because things were split into two different ideologies.

Let Nathan explain himself or get things over with and kill him and Faith. Either way, people weren't going to be pleased.

Nick figured he could take a break, after all, he hadn't spotted Nathan in over the week or so he had been doing flybys across the Valley. Several times he ventured a bit beyond that to the outskirts of the other two regions with the same results (or lack thereof).

So he brought his family to the Spread Eagle, maybe not the most child-friendly place to bring Carmina to but they were far more focused on Casey's cooking to even think about alcohol.

Often times Nick wondered if Nathan even would agree to return to the Resistance. Most people still hated his decision and while they probably wouldn't kill him, they'd heavily resent him for it.

Nick himself had issues with Nathan's decision to keep Faith Seed alive, but he knew to trust Nathan's judgment. After all, he had lived long enough to singlehandedly topple Eden's Gate and their grip on the county, no one could say they did the same.

So he consulted things with Kim, someone arguably smarter than he was.

"What if he doesn't want to come back Kim? We can't force him to if I doesn't want to!"

"Nick, he probably thinks he can't show his face without getting killed of course he doesn't want to return." She bit into the fry

"Just do your best to try and help your friend, you wouldn't want our daughter to grow up without a godfather would you." She urged him to keep looking for them, to let Nathan explain himself to the masses. She oddly never mentioned Faith, either that was intentionally or not he didn't know.

"Yeah, you're right. Goddammit where the hell are Boshaw and Hurk!? They agreed to help and suddenly they leave." Hurk had informed him that his mother had called him which was strange. Contact between Hurk and Adelaide wasn't very common or quiet.

"You've got your plane Nick, you don't need them do you?" Kim assured, in all honesty she didn't exactly feel comfortable or safe around those two but the Deputy trusted them almost as much as he trusted Nick so they must've been doing something right.

So he would be back at it again soon, taking to the skies to find someone who shouldn't have ever left in the first place.

Anything to have his daughters godfather around again.

Almost as if on cue Boshaw and Drubman walked into the establishment with looks of unease and nervousness. With nothing but a "Hey Nick" they took a seat in the barstools and ordered their beers

"The hell have you guys been? I know the both of y'all haven't been looking for the deputy."

"Well Nick, we haven't seen a _whatever_ the Deputy wears or any white dresses so far." Hurk defended despite the fact he had aided both days prior and was privy to the conversation between Nathan and Adelaide.

"Heh, that damn white dress..." Mary scoffed.

Glancing in front of him to the bar he could see Mary May addressing with the two cousins. Nick was slightly surprised, he didn't think anyone would be interested enough to hold a legitimate conversation with those two.

"With that fucking dress she looked like a Woodstock reject!" Mary laughed at her own joke and at Sharky's confusion. Several other patrons joined in on the laughter, wether it was out of genuine amusement or if they were trying to sweeten her up for a free round on the house was unclear.

"Uhh... what in the world is a Woodstock?" He asked, oblivious as to why the analogy was so humourous to the bartender.

"It was like a concert that lasted several days in which people would get super drunk, high off their minds and contract some type STD." Mary recalled raising an eyebrow at Kim's face of slight disgust.

"Sounds like my kinda party!" Hurk exclaimed, wondering when the next one would take place. "It sounds like a real gas."

"How do you know what that is?" Kim asked.

"Dep told me once when he and I were jamming out to the Rolling Stones on the little rockophone over there, lemme tell ya' that man knows his stuff." Mary was far more interested in what _he _had to say than in any old song playing.

"Huh, you learn something new everyday..."

Grace entered the bar with the same feeling of waywardness several of Nathan's allies did. The severe lack of cultist activity or runaway deputies put a damper on the general mood of things. Though the first part was a relief for soon the war would be over and life could resume as it did before, for everyone except Deputy Rook of course.

She spotted Nick and his wife chatting away with Mary, Sharky, and Hurk. Unlike Jess, she actually got along quite well with all five of them.

"Any luck Grace?" Kim asked with a small amount of hope in her voice

"No, not a damn trace of either one of them sorry." She lamented, declining Mary's offer to get her a beer Grace leaned against the wall and toyed around with her stars and stripes bandana wrapped around her neck.

"The search doesn't seem to be goin' anywhere, the Deputy, for the short time he's been in Hope County, must already know of perfect hiding spots where they could seek shelter." She continued, even she wasn't well inversed with all the places in Holland Valley for it was a massive place.

"Well, imma take Carmina up for a little spin again see if I can find anything this time," Nick stated unsure he'd find any trace of them.

"You do that honey" His wife responded.

"There still isn't a trace of either, for all we know they actually are long gone from the Valley!" Sharky exclaimed with an unconvincing amount of urgency that went unnoticed by everyone else much to his and his elder cousin's relief.

"We have to hope for the best," Grace told them.

In Grace's case, she had immense respect for the deputy. Selflessness very few showed that was rewarded in the worse way possible, even by her. Like many others, she knew the inevitable was bound to happen when word spread that he had spared Faith Seed after the confrontation that was meant to bring her end.

The inevitable did happen, and they ran to seek whatever it was they were looking for. Shelter? Maybe.

"Shit really hit the fan that day didn't it?" She asked no one but received hums of agreement.

The flames had subsided considerably in the valley, though the same couldn't be said about the rest of the county. Thanks to the lack of any reports of them being sighted anywhere, it was safe to assume that they were still somewhere hidden in the valley.

When she agreed to help Nathan she only meant him, not Faith. Grace had no sympathy for Faith nor did she have any interest in her pity story that had been told countless times throughout the years. Granted, because of her respect towards the Deputy she wouldn't resort to outright killing her. No... someone else wanted the honors.

She understood Jess's hatred towards Faith well enough. Her dedication might seem slightly unhealthy and potentially hazardous. If and when they were found, in the end, it would be up to Jess to see how things would pan out between the Resistance and Nathan, and only because of her promise to end Faith's life. They were going to inevitably clash, not physically obviously but her plan wasn't going to sit well with Nathan.

Was Grace going to talk her out of it? No, but if Jess was so adamant about things then it would be best to get something out of it. To torture Faith for information on the whereabouts of Joseph's and his last line of defense outside of the random peggie stragglers. Jess apparently had a plan, to convince Nathan to turn in Faith without the empty promises of the flyer they found at the Spread Eagle. Then she'd be free to do whatever she pleased with her.

To Grace that was an afterthought, what was important was that Nathan is located and his name cleared. Whatever happened after that would be at the hands of them.

When Jerome contacted them again to inform them of his departure to the river he asked where Jess had gone to. Grace knew well enough that she was at the Henbane talking to one of the notable figureheads of the Cougars: Tracey.

What she was planning on asking her was a mystery to her, though if she had to guess it was probably to dig up information on Faith only Tracey knew.

The situation wasn't getting much worse than it already was due to the bigger focus being on finding Joseph and his people. There was no time to divide the search between him and the Deputy and hope to find them both.

So it was up to them to find Nathan and Faith before the other Resistance groups or Eden's Gate did.

_

So apparently they danger of being spotted became moot when Faith requested Nathan walk her over to the small lake to clean herself. He should've said no, but he didn't, instead, he lead her through the small patch of woods with her clothes and rifle in tow.

Thankfully it was almost sunset so the sun was somewhat more bearable than earlier and the dirt road that was in front of the cabin was barren that day.

"Remind me again, why I have to carry your clothes?"

"Because I asked you too."

"Right..." _Wrapped around her finger Nate._ He heard the voice taunt.

_Please, shut__ the fuck up..._

They reached the small lake, which looked more like a pond than a lake. Faith didn't look impressed in the slightest. "I was imagining something more expansive."

"It ain't that bad, plus the water looks clean-ish... Go on in I'll keep watch," Nathan assured her, handing her clothes

Faith felt self-conscious as she undressed in front of Nathan. He was facing her general direction but his head was turned to the two deer yards away munching away at the grass.

"Can you turn around, completely, please?" Faith was down to her underwear though she wasn't going to undress any further till Nathan faced the other way.

"Yeah, sure don't worry, I'll look away." Nathan turned to face the path they had just walked through, his ears picking up the sounds of water splashing quietly. He wondered if that's what the original owners of the cabin did to keep themselves clean, take a dip in the _whatever_ that small body of water was.

"It's cold..." He heard her gasp quietly as the water reached her thighs. "It feels nice..."

Ignoring the idiotic urge to turn around, Nathan began fiddling around with the small safety switch of his rifle to distract himself.

"Don't take too long alright? Longer we stay out her the more exposed we are, _you _literally." His reminder was probably unnecessary.

"Alright." Faith looked back at Nathan standing there with his back to her looking around the perimeter. She smiled, it was nice to see he was understanding of her privacy despite all they had done together. Perhaps she could reward him...

Not wanting to waste time, Faith was quick to scrub herself clean as best she could, which wasn't much. As long as the grime and dirt was gone she was fine.

"I'm almost done."

"Okay."

A few minutes passed and Faith stepped out of the water to dry herself. She stared intently at Nathan who was still playing around with his rifle, going as far as to making extremely quiet shooting sounds with his mouth like a child, almost as if to hide them from her. It certainly was amusing to see his usually tense self acting that way.

"I'm done." Faith smiled as Nathan jumped slightly at how close she was. The embarrassment quickly dissipated as he gave her a look over to confirm she was actually done.

"You got everything?" He turned to see her in her fresh garments. She was wearing one of his shirts, because of that his own pile of clothes took a hit. he didn't have that many clean ones left.

"Mhmm, I'm ready."

"Alright let's get out of here," Nathan switched the safety off the rifle and began walking ahead of her keeping a watchful eye on any potential danger. He still felt incredibly ill for some reason and knew he had to eat something. Running on empty for close to three days was the probable culprit of his sickness.

Thankfully nothing out of the ordinary happened and the journey from the cabin to the lake and back was safe and successful.

Looking closely at the outside of the cabin Nathan could better see the damage done to it all those months back. The aftermath of the firefight between him and the peggies was still more than evident as bullet holes riddled the outside walls. The thick wood had ensured none of the rounds would penetrate through but the same couldn't be said about the glass scattered throughout.

Nathan was quick to clean the bits of glass for Faith's safety as well as his own. Why she insisted on not wearing anything but socks or being barefoot was beyond him.

Once he was done he turned to face her and was met with a tight hug which he gladly returned.

"Nathan, can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"If everything had gone as you wanted, would you have visited me wherever I would've ended up?" In her voice, Nathan could hear the hope, hope he was going to crush. Not intentionally.

_Christ, this again?_

"No." There was no point in lying to her, it didn't sit right with him. Nathan had no intention of ever seeing her again after the war with Eden's Gate was over. He was contempt with just washing his hands clean after her arrest, only then would the guilt of potentially leaving her to die disappear.

"I would've moved on with my life, try and put this all behind me. Probably wouldn't have worked but I was sure as hell going to try."

Faith pulled away from his embrace, contemplating his words. Maybe it was the feelings of hurt or a sense of overconfidence, but she couldn't stop the words that escaped her mouth immediately after his response.

"Then, it's a good thing things didn't go that way..."

The regret came instantly. She couldn't believe she said that and by the slight surprise, Nathan's face had, neither did he.

"No, Nathan I didn't mean it that way." She awkwardly stammered, afraid she had potentially angered him.

"No, _you did _and it's fine really." His assurance did little to alleviate her embarrassment and worry.

"No Na-" Faith was quickly cut off.

"Faith, It's _fine_, I'm not happy things went as bad as they did but that's life, complaining ain't gonna do much and getting mad at you even less so." Nathan placed his arms on her shoulders and kissed her forehead.

"Don't worry about it alright, just... you want something to eat?" Nathan didn't want to talk about what happened all those months back, what was done was done. _No sense dwelling on the past_

"No, I'm fine thank you" Faith turned down his offer, she was tired and wanted nothing more than to sleep for a while.

"I'm going to bed, can you wake me up later?" She probably didn't need to ask him, he would wake her later to eat something. Nathan nodded his head in response.

"Yeah, sure get some rest. I'll keep an eye out for any trouble."

When he saw her about to drop herself in the bottom bunk Nathan was quick to stop her, much her confusion and slight annoyance.

"Take the top bunk, the bottom one probably has bits of glass here and there." The fading sunlight still managed to illuminate the cabin well enough and thanks to it Nathan could see the miniature gleams of the window glass reflecting on the bed.

"Where are you going to sleep?" The bunks were small, but Faith knew that with a bit of effort they could both fit in one. Of course, she'd have to convince Nathan to join her.

"I'll rest later don't worry, I'll scrape off the glass off the bedframe if I have to." Nathan had no interest in actually doing that, he'd much rather sleep on the floor or in one of the wooden chairs.

"Okay, goodnight Nathan."

"Goodnight." It wasn't nighttime yet but Nathan didn't feel like correcting her. Instead, he approached her and kissed her with whatever passion his ill self could muster, letting her take over.

If things were meant to go any further tonight then neither one of them would be taking the initiative. Ignoring the heat pooling in his lower area Nathan closed the gap between them. It didn't have to go far tonight, they could just enjoy each other's company.

"Once this is over we'll have all the time in the world to ourselves..." Faith whispered in his ear, her voice desperate to do its best to soothe his troubled mind.

Those words... how he wished he could believe her.

"Sure, just me and you." Nathan echoed his own comforting words to her. Unlike him, she was quick to believe them, only because they came out of his mouth. He gently caressed her face, eyes locked lovingly with hers, the ever-present guilt building up inside. Whispering her name passionately, their lips met for one last time for that day.

"Goodnight, I love you..." His send-off to her wasn't a satisfactory one for him, but it was for her and that's all that mattered to him.

Pretending that life would ever have a semblance of normality, lying to her, Nathan felt physically and mentally miserable. The more he sunk in his self-hatred the more that bottle of premium Lager above the kitchen cabinets gained appeal...

_

**AN: What's up, 11 days huh? Yeah, the chapter was meant to go up days ago but there was a major mistake in it that would've conflicted with most chapters in the story and that's just shitty. I grew frustrated with the previous end result and rewrote everything in a day or two.** **Am I pleased with this end result? I don't know.**

**So what did I learn from all that? I'm pretty fucking fast when under pressure.**

**I figured**** that instead of trying, and failing miserably, to upload something in the 3-4 day span I used to months ago (or was it weeks? who knows), I'll be changing them to weekly uploads. I don't thinks it's much different from now but y'know, just a heads up!**

**_Don't_****_ actually hold me to that.._.**

**If you liked well ain't that swell if you didn't, honestly, I can see where you're coming from. It'll probably be rewritten.**

**See ya next week.**


	22. Flashback Chapter: Observations

Grace wasn't expecting the aid she had been desperately calling for to come in the shape of a single man with a cattle dog and a red assault rifle.

Strange times they lived in.

After being stuck up in the bell tower of the church for some time, repelling the peggie bastards who were trying to demolish the resting grounds of her father and several other veterans, Grace grew wearier and aware of her fleeting ammunition.

The call for help was to protect her father's resting grounds not for self protection

The man introduced himself as Deputy Rook, the same one Grace heard had been causing some significant trouble to John Seed.

"Uh, Deputy Rook, or just Rook." Deputy Rook extended a friendly hand at Grace. She shook it without much feelings of outward friendliness.

"Alright, Deputy." Grace managed a small smile and perched herself back at the roof of the church where she could have a better view of the area. She saw Rook running behind a tree and prepping his rifle.

Grace took note of how he ejected the already loaded magazine to lightly blow air into the neatly arranged bullets inside the cartridge before inserting it back.

They knew the plan, protect the church and kill the peggies. Both were quite proficient at the latter.

"To the left Rook, don't let them destroy these graves!" Grace couldn't stop the subtle distress in her voice from slipping out. She saw him immediately turn to the direction she warned about and scan around. Through the thick brushes and trees, Grace could see several cultists running towards them with their weapons drawn.

"Here they come! Stay sharp." The deputy required no warning apparently because as quickly as the peggies began to break through the tree line he was quick to kill.

Out of the seven that tore through the woods only three remained, concealing themselves behind trees. The dog, which she immediately recognized as Boomer from Rae-Rae's farm, was quick to jump at one's throat and viciously tear at it and spray the dirt beneath it with blood. Rook was quick to deal with the remaining two and just in time as his rifle ran dry. He could see more of them approaching and although they weren't doing a very good job at aiming he knew it'd only be a matter of time before he was hit.

"I'm out!" He shouted to Grace as he rushed to the small crevice that seperated the church grass and the pavement to hide from the hailstorm of projectiles.

That was her cue for action. Grace tilted slightly to the left to get a decent perspective of the left side of the church. Accuracy had always been on her side and it was evident by the precise shots at the peggies. One by one their skulls exploded into pink mist as she and her .50 caliber worked in flawless unison

"Holy shit!" She heard the deputy voice with awe but she had no time to feel smug about her work because soon more were coming, this time from the road.

"Deputy up ahead!"

Rook turned to look past the road and to the fields ahead where even more cultists were coming through. Rather than let them reach the church he began picking them off from a distance as best he could without any scope and with the spray of his automatic rifle.

He let Grace deal with them and focused on the ones that had tried flanking him from the side and one who had gotten way too close to one of the tombs and was swiftly killed by him.

"We got peggie trucks approaching fast!" Grace called down to the deputy. Aiming at the vehicle she saw the unmistakable sight of a mounted LMG and due to her position she couldn't get a well placed shot, most simply bounced off the reinforced vehicle.

"I've got something that'll help us with that..." Nathan exclaimed as he ran to the truck he had driven to the church in. Shoving his arm in the driver's side window he pulled out what at first looked like a shotgun, and a wide one at that but Grace looked closer to see it was actually a small grenade launcher.

"Are you sure about this Rook?" Grace questioned, eyeing the cylindrical propeller with heavy unease. If he missed or fired in the wrong.

"I'm _not_ actually but..." Rook glanced at the fast approaching vehicle. "No time!"

His attention to turned to the weapon as he attempted to open the grenade chamber to no success. Rook frowned and tried once more to the same result. "Come on you stupid peice of shit!"

"Oh, fuck right off!" He cursed at the launcher that decided it wouldn't budge.

"C'mon Rook, we ain't got time for this!" Grace shouted at Rook as he messed around with the grenade launcher. She was beginning to question whether or not it was a good idea to have him use it so close to her father's grave. It wasn't, but she was desperate.

_What is he doing? _

"Almost got it and..." He slid the small 40mm grenade on to the barrel and closed it. "Got it!"

"Alright, so I'm gonna head out to the road, see if you can spot any trucks headed this way!" He shouted at her before taking off running.

What _does he mean I already did!_

The answer she was looking for came in the form of an explosion that rocketed higher than she could see.

Then there was nothing, the peggies were gone. They had won.

Grace watched in slight confusion as the deputy strolled back to the church giving a quick glance at the thankfully intact graves. He then called up to her.

"So uhmm... You alright?"

_

After they gave the are a quick scan to find any stray cultists they began conversing amongsts each other.

"Thank you deputy, I appreciate what you've done." Grace genuinely did, what he had done that day was more than she could ever attempt to repay.

"Nah, don't mention it just lending a helping hand." He dismissed her words.

"Well if you ever need any help just know I-" Grace was cut off by a voice blaring through the radio on the deputy's holster.

"I'll get right back to you sorry." He apoligized and switched on his radio.

"Hey, Mary, what's up?" Rook walked away from her to talk into the radio. Grace noticed the small blush he had as he spoke with Falls End's favorite bar owner, though that was promptly replaced by concern.

"Three of them? and how many per convoy?..." He asked and by the increasingly sour look on his face the number wasn't a pleasant one. "Three as well so that brings in nine...shit..."

"Alright, I'll try and cut them off at an intersection. Alright, Rook out." He shut off his radio and turned to Grace with an arched eyebrow.

"So, about the help..."

Grace smiled a sincere smile for the first time in a while. She understood the stories of his acts of heroism throughout Holland Valley well enough now.

Maybe he was the sign of hope many of the residents of the county were looking for.

_

Jess didn't believe in knights in shining armor, she wasn't a child, she knew better. Her grandmother was the only person who came close to any inspirational distinction. Here she was being held captive by Jacob's fairy brigade jokingly hoping _someone _tried helping but knew everyone was occupied dealing with their own dilemmas with Eden's Gate

So when she saw a tall man quietly wandering around the mill's grounds, Jess didn't see a savior, instead, she saw a dead man walking and she _definitely _expected his immediate demise.

What she _didn't _expect was for him to single-handedly murder every single peggie in the mill...

Once the sounds of gunfire ceased and the final peggie had her body slammed repeatedly by the rounds of a 9mm, Jess came face to face with her rescuer.

That still didn't mean she believed in illusive brave knight's, or miracles for that matter, no, but it _was_ a step in the right direction.

_

_"Hey!" _

She whispered at the man who was eyeing the empty cages with little interest. Jess knew he was looking for something but what?

Her call to him jerked him out of whatever it was he was thinking and almost instantly a pistol was aimed at her.

_"Put that shit down asshole before I shove it down your throat..." _Jess's threat did nothing to intimidate the man who stared at her intently.

"Oh yeah? From inside there? I'd like to see you try." He sneered, earning a _fuck you_ from Jess. _Just who the hell was he?_

"Real tough shit huh? I'll fucking show..." Jess trailed off as she remembered he was no immediate threat, if one was to ignore the gun aimed at her, and he had also taken care of the peggies.

"Wait. You're definitely not a peggie, can't be a local either if you're fucking dumb enough to be here... Who are you? And put that thing down jackass..."

The man set the gun down and moved towards her cage of forced captivity. Jess managed to get a close look at her would-be savior (if he ever got around to getting _her_ out of the damn cage!) and saw he looked to be around her age, maybe a bit younger. He was tall, slightly pale with dark hair, and surprisingly deep blue eyes.

"Junior Deputy Rook of the Hope County Sheriff's Department." He affirmed almost proudly like he assumed Jess gave a shit who or what the fuck he worked as.

"Don't break your back sucking yourself dry there _officer__..._" She snickered quietly at his glare. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"I'm uh... I'm loo-looking for a Jess Black, her uncle asked me to find her." His ego had taken a bit of a hit that much was obvious by the blossoming crimson in his face and the stammering in his voice.

"Well I'm here, now get me out." She rested her hands on her hips expectantly but instantly raised them as she saw him switching the safety off of his handgun

"_Wait wait wait_, you need the _key _disphit! I ain't runnin' the risk of letting you fuckin' shoot me!" Jess sighed and moved away when she saw he wasn't relenting.

"I'm sorry miss, but I really don't have time for this." He aimed his firearm at the lock and fired. It worked! the latch fell and he was quick to unravel the chains off of the cell door. "There we go..."

"So much for the damn key asshole..." Jess stood up and brushed the dust off of her clothes. She walked out and twisted her waist to a satisfying _pop!_

"Hey, what matters is that you're out of there safe and sound, now do you need me to take you back to your uncle?" Rook asked offering to take her to Dutch's bunker.

"Nah, I'm good but do tell him I said hi." She began to walk away to a destination only she knew she had to get to before it was too late, leaving a confused deputy behind. Jess wouldn't mind if that was the last time they saw each other.

Though the didn't know this or why, fortunately for both, it wouldn't.

Jess should have known the man wasn't one to quickly give up. The irritation quickly built up as she heard the footfall of the deputy's boots and his voice calling out to her

"Wait!"

_What the fuck does he want? _Jess spun around to face the deputy who wasn't very far behind her.

"Christ, you want a thank you or something?" Jess spat heatedly at the man who in turn looked slightly insulted.

_Good, maybe that'll get him to take a fucking hike..._

"No actually, I'm here to offer you help." He answered, unfazed by her hostility.

Jess took a minute to respond. Did she want his help? No, she had barely met the man and he was already getting on her nerves. Not to mention what she was going to do was personal and she didn't want anyone holding her back.

_Although, he did just wipe out an entire peggie outpost with no help at all..._ So what? So could she!

"If you don't need any all you have to do is say so..." The deputy added, if only because he hadn't exactly gotten the best first impression from Jess.

After a bit more back and forth between herself, Jess concluded that help would be beneficial to her and the deputy had proven himself to be competent when it came to dealing with the peggies.

"_Look,_ you actually want to help?" Her question was met with a nod.

"Of course ma'am, my duty as an officer of the law." He answered back and Jess couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic but she found his politeness annoying.

"Alright... follow me we dont have much time..." Jess began jogging down the dirt path away from the mill with the deputy close behind. "One thing, for the love of _God, _drop the whole good guy cop shit it's irritating alright?"

"Okay, calm down!" Rook exclaimed defensively, not wanting to draw out her ire again.

"C'mon before it's too late..."

_

The walked in silence for a while before Jess spoke again. "Callin' ya Rook ain't cutting it and I sure as hell ain't calling you deputy either that sounds stupid."

"Then just call me Nathan if it bothers you so much." He told her not really paying it much mind and much more interested in what they were doing.

Jess shook her head much to Nathan's confusion. "Fuck that, I'll just call you Nate."

"I'd rather you not call me that, sounds informal." He wasn't going to tell her he didn't like it, worrying that he'd be laughed at.

"There ain't nothing _formal_ about the situation we're in Nate. Now, are you gonna help me or not we're wasting time." Jess wouldn't let that bastard get away, not when he was so close.

"Fine." Nathan responded and they resumed their trek.

The air wouldn't clear itself of any hostility for quite some time since their initial encounter but neither knew the impact they would have on each others life.

_

**Hey everyone! What'd I tell ya' about weekly uploads?**

**So this is the first of several vignettes I have written for the GFH's and several other big and small fries and their introductions and notable interactions with the Deputy. These first ones will be the introductory ones before I move on to other events.** **_Long overdue huh?_**

**Because of their smaller size, they should be out at a faster pace than a full-fledged chapter.** **Sometimes they will also be mixed in with the regular chapters.** **So you'll either have one of these in between the week (Wed or Thurs) or a double upload at the end of it (Sun _maybe _Sat). These will never be the sole update for the week is what I'm trying to say.**

**So that's 2 chapters each week!**

**They will focus on two sometimes 3 characters('s) because individually they'll just take up space.**

**Ending notes: Play Fallout New Vegas it is very good.** **That's right, yo****ur old pal, _me_, is looking out for your entertainment**.


	23. Devotion

In all honesty, Nathan was tired. Not just physically, but mentally he felt drained. To keep fighting for an indefinite amount of time was something he didn't have the energy for. It was absolutely exhausting having to always be on the move, his feet ached like nothing else and he exuded so much sweat that death by dehydration was more likely than dying in a firefight. Not only that but lugging a hefty pack, a bulky Kevlar vest and a moderately sized rifle for hours on end only added to the tiredness. Headaches that developed into vicious migraines were common everyday. _Not to mention the paranoia that is gradually but undoubtedly driving me insane._

At the age of 25, literally the prime of his life, and here he was hiding out like a fugitive. Not exactly what he had aspired to be when he was younger but Nathan couldn't say he didn't bring his current hardships upon himself. Occasionally he'd have pleasant dreams that the morbid reality he was presently living in was just a nightmare. He would wake up in his cell at the jailhouse ready to start the next task with his allies by his side. In those dreams he was still Deputy Rook, idolized by all and the leader of the Resistance. Waking up was always the bad part, cause then he'd have to face the fact that no, he wasn't a part of anything anymore nor would he ever be. _And that just sucked, _and it showed how reminiscing was only good till it was over, then the resentment and self hatred came...

The psychodramas in his mind hardly ever brought the pleasant memories he longed for.

Despite all of that, Nathan could confidently say that things weren't all that terrible. Sure, they could be infinitely better but several silver linings made up for his less than gracious downfall. He was, _of course_, referring to Faith. Playing the role of friend and lover proved challenging at first though. Nathan eventually managed to balanced them well till the vague desire was no longer vague, when lover outweighed friend.

Or so he wanted it to. Nathan couldn't deny the fact that a part of him felt what happened between them was wrong, or at the very least happened too soon.

Though that was small when compared to the doubt of their escape. _It isn't going to happend, I know it won't... _And yet by not telling Faith he felt that way, he was indirectly feeding her the lie that it would. It was important he set the record straight with her.

Adelaide was offering him a chance to explain himself, and he took that chance out of desperation. Nathan was desperate, there was no doubt about it. He wasn't going to have a nervous breakdown or anything, Nathan could pretend to keep calm well enough to hide the anguish from Faith, though he knew she knew.

Nathan couldn't stop feeling like a failure. He failed his friends, the people of Hope County, his boss, Jess, the folks at Falls End. _Everyone._ A non existent crime sent him on a crash course to failure, _It's not a crime but who the hell am I going to convince otherwise?_ So failure it was.

If there was one person he quite literally _could not_ fail was Faith, and he had to make sure of that.

* * *

"I missed you..."

"I was literally a foot or two under you with little pieces of glass poking my arms." Waking up at odd hours of the night to brush off the glass was the worst. Nathan resorted to sleeping on the chair, his neck was stiff as all hell but at least he didn't run the risk of cutting himself.

"You know what I mean." She lightly slapped his arm before leaning her head on it. "It's only been like what? A month and a half and I'm already used to cuddling with you before we go to bed..."

Nathan gave her a smile and finished the energy drink he had fished out of their supplies with grimace and slight disgust. _Christ, that's REALLY strong..._ Why did he force himself to drink it? Well, Nathan didn't like wasting supplies and he was very thirsty.

"I know, I got used to it too." Nathan did miss her embrace while he was doing his best trying to doze off uncomfortably in an old wooden chair. "As long as we're here it'll have to be routine, unless you're up for sleeping together in that small bed together?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Was her coy response. Such an odd thing love was...

_Didn't happen when we escaped or even before but it still happened_, _but nooo..._ _odd ain't it Nate?_ Leave it to morality to rain on his parade. Though it did bring up an important question he had for her.

"Faith, are you really sure you want to do this?" Nathan pushed her arms away from his shoulders and held her hands in his. "Whatever hopes we have of starting a new life with each other, and you know... growing old together... I need you to understand that there is a possibility that they... they just aren't going to work out."

Faith's heart soared when she heard his words, his confirmation that he _did_ want more with her than what they currently had, though her face didn't share the same enthusiasm.

"I understand..." Though what she _didn't_ understand why he was so adamant on being negative all the time, it was starting to get old and fast. "Nathan, would it kill you to try and think of something a little more... Oh, I don't know, _happy__?__" _The woman of his dreams did her best to comfort him.

_Woman of my dreams? Seriously._ Nathan grimaced and not because of the of energy drink, or the fact that it was gone. Since when had that come about? Since when had Faith adopted the portrayal of a woman that never really existed before?

_Must've happened between the first or second time we f-_ Whatever the verdict was it was cut short as he listened to her speak up again.

"I'm not blind to these things, I know that the reality of us actually leaving Hope County... it isn't as grounded as either of us want to believe." Faith continued, ignoring the fact that Nathan had let go of her hands. "That being said, it doesn't hurt to daydream a little does it?"

"No, _it doesn't_, as long as you don't start believing those dreams." Whatever it was the future had in store for them was entirely unknown, and those illusions definitely weren't the answer.

"As much as I'd want to I know I can't..."

Silence permeated the cabin with neither one speaking. Nathan was about to speak up, probably to complain about the summer heat but instead Faith did, about something entirely different.

"I'm sorry for acting the way I did yesterday, I was in no place to be as demanding of you as I was." Her voice was timid and remorseful, as if bringing it up would irritate him.

"Nah, don't worry about it. I pushed things, I maybe should've waited till the sun set or something. You had every right to complain." He said, recalling how her _'justified'_ complaints had been getting on his nerves the day before.

"I didn't have any right, and I also shouldn't have asked you to carry my clothes either." Faith went on, feeling regret for asking him to do things she was very well capable of doing herself.

"Faith, don't worry about it. It's fine alright? I wasn't angry then, I sure as hell ain't angry now." He could hear his subtle western accent slip out, Nevada's unappreciated gift to him if only because the gift of being able to stand the sun without tanning too much came first.

Her hand clasped his tightly and pulled it closer to her lap. It was those minor gestures of unending affection made him inevitably fall in love with her.

_I fell for Faith Seed, just like everyone cautioned me not to. Well, they warned me not to fall for her sob story but this is arguably worse than that._ Falling in love with and sleeping with the enemy was indeed worse than lending an ear to a complicated life story, Nathan wouldn't and couldn't argue with that.

Regardless of whether it was right or wrong he enjoyed in it, morality be damned.

"I want us to be together..." Faith whispered in his ear out of nowhere. Nathan laughed softly in response.

"Aren't we together now?," Nathan caught her glare and answered back with a warm smile, "Calm down, I get what you mean... Yeah, so do I."

Her response was to press her lips against his, a nice surprise that only reinforced the thought that maybe... maybe life with her could work out.

"I do need to talk to you about something, it's very important." Nathan felt it was time to tell her of his agreement with Adelaide. There was no immediate response, it seemed like showering him with affection came first, though after a few seconds she spoke up.

"What is it?" Came the muffled reply.

"A friend of mine has offered to lend an ear and listen to my, _our_, side of everything as well as offer asylum." Nathan informed her. That got Faith's attention as she brought her head back up to face him.

"So you're taking up the offer from the people here?" She asked, a little too excitedly.

Nathan shook his head much to her confusion. "This is someone else, she's from the Henbane River area."

"Oh, and who might that be?" Faith inquired, curious as to who he was talking about.

"Adelaide Drubman, she owns the Drubman marina." Nathan wasn't sure why she held the last name despite everything she and Hurk Sr went through. "I think you know her."

"I know I once tried buying that place, but that was a long time ago." If Faith recalled correctly a lot of cussing was involved, not from _her_ of course.

"So why take up her offer and not the one from your friends here?" She was curious as to what made this particular offer so different from the other.

"Faith, I... I just _can't keep up_ with how bad things have gotten. I'm not invincible, not at all, many times has my life been on the line since our escape from the jailhouse," Nathan admitted to his lover, what he didn't admit was why he didn't take the helping hand of his other allies.

The only reason he even thought of Adelaide was because of her marina. It was the perfect hideout for them and (according to Adelaide herself) they wouldn't have to worry about any angry folk trying to murder them. It could also be because of how she didn't immediately turn on him like everyone else.

"And I can't risk seeing you get hurt for something that may not be a-_our_ reality..." There was no doubt in Nathan's mind that he did want to be with her, but their escape didn't seem like an option anymore.

"So we're back ot there again?" There was hesitation in her voice, and no efforts to conceal it.

"It'll be like old times, except those times aren't actually very old, are they?" His words brought no ease to her, perhaps because they weren't supposed to at all.

"Old times that I'd preferably not want to relive..." Faith replied, earning merely a shrug from Nathan.

"We were gonna have to get back out there again eventually, we just didn't know _when_ exactly." She knew they would, Faith just liked to pretend they didn't have to anymore.

"Nate, you can't possibly be sure about this?" It didn't seem to make sense to Faith how certain he sounded despite everything his "friends" had done to him. _First I'm glad he was taking up their offer, now I'm not? _Conflicting feelings. Faith knew it was probably because she was scared of returning to the Henbane.

"I'm not, but you gotta take risks sometimes Faith, we can't just linger here, try and wait things out in the hopes that everything will someday blow over." Trust was difficult to come by these days, Nathan was well aware of that. If she didn't want to trust Adelaide or anybody else then that was fine with him, but she had to trust _him._

"They aren't gonna hurt you alright? And if anyone tries to once we're there, _then tell me, _I'll straighten things out."

"How can you be so sure they aren't going to react violently when they see me? Then what will we do?"

"Calm down, I trust her alright? She wasn't part of the mob outside your room that day nor did she ever question the fact that I saved you." Nathan assured, though he knew either of those things probably never happened because Adelaide was always busy with her marina. "She won't turn us in or take _'justice' _in to her own hands or the people their with her."

"I... I don't know Nathan..." Faith felt he was only saying those things to calm her down. She wanted to believe him, but she found it hard to do so. Faith didn't trust or like anyone else aside from him and to be asked to place her trust on a person she hardly ever met before was hard.

"Faith, do you trust me?" It was a straightforward question, and one he knew the answer to, which in turn ended up making it feel like less of a question and more of an ego stroke.

"Of course I do, why would you even ask that?" Why would she not trust him?

"Then just... trust me on _this_ okay?" This was as much of a risk for him as it was for her, but it was a risk he was willing to take, for her.

"I will," Faith confirmed the obvious, _of course she would._ Why would she doubt Nathan? If he said they didn't have anything to fear then Faith would take his word. It was that simple.

Except it _wasn't _that simple. For as much as she trusted his judgment, Nathan had felt first hand what the negative reception of them could bring, the scars she had become so familiar with during their nights of intimacy were the evidence anyone needed.

"_Great_, we leave in a couple of days. Three, four the latest." Forcing a smile Nathan walked away from her and over to the front door of the cabin. _Thank God she took this better than I had expected her! _Nathan had assumed that there'd be more shouting, or something but no, aside from understandable apprehension from her, _Faith agreed_.

Nathan now had to prepare for several things. The biggest one was to see if Adelaide would keep her part of the deal and not turn them in, or immediately train their weapons on them. The second thing was to think of what to say to her and the people there, though that one was easy because all he really had to say was his reasons for keeping Faith alive. Faith was going to be questioned as well, Nathan knew that very well, but hopefully she knew how to keep cool and not piss everyone off. He had confidence in her.

"We're both gonna be questioned. _Me_ about keeping you alive and _you_... I don't know..."

"And what if I don't want to speak to them?" Faith should have known an interrogation session would happen. She honestly doubted locking up and keeping her mouth shut would go well with whoever it was they were meeting or Nathan, but she wasn't above doing so.

"You're gonna have to, but don't worry I'll do my best to do most of the speaking if you want me to." To Nathan, speaking to his friends would be awkward at most, but they were his friends so conversation would flow along a bit better. _Faith?_ It would be hard to speak with your enemy, he could see it from both sides.

"I would appreciate it Nathan, but I think I'll be fine just... nevermind," Faith knew she would not be fine, she was terrified of what would unfold when they got to their destination.

Like always, she would have to trust Nathan. Trust was definitely hard to come by these days but to Faith it was easy to have so much on him after everything. He had yet to prove her wrong in doing so, and Faith knew he'd keep it that way.

* * *

Nathan ejected the magazine from the rifle and slapped it against the side of the AR-C for no apparent reason, it was a habit he picked up while using weapons that had seen better days and were up for a much needed tune up. Sliding it back in he clicked on the safety.

"You're ready?" He asked Faith, receiving a nod in response. He dropped the 5.11 jacket in favor of a plain old shirt and also not dying from a heat stroke. For as good he thought he looked in it, he looked better alive and not sweating bullets all day, _even at night._

"Yeah, let's go." Faith answered, she wore the pair of white slip ons that Nathan had given her at the jailhouse for her to wear. Walking The Path had done a number on her but chipped concrete was apparently too much. They were brand new shoes, something she didn't know were still a thing and not a size too big!

They stared one last time at the cabin, it had served its purpose Nathan surmised.

"Alrighty then, let's."

Going back to the Henbane would be the easy part for them, it was traversing through the river itself that was a going to prove to be challenging.

* * *

**AN: Well it's up. Bit of a short one know but hopefully the masses enjoy. The benefits of having stuff written before the official deadline even ended! So, I was today years old when I learned that the torch could be used as a lock opener in Far Cry 5 and to that extent New Dawn. You learn something new every day and also question the usefulness of the lock perk.**

**Adelaide will be more prominent in the next chapters, I have important stuff written down about her. So, yay.**

**Next big update will be ****probably Friday, or maybe sooner. That'll _definitely _be a long one, trust me.**


	24. Helping Hand

Hours since their departure from Robert's Cabin, the pair had successfully made it out of Holland Valley undetected and were already making progress through the Henbane River. Nathan estimated that if everything went well, which it probably wouldn't, then they could make it to the Drubman Marina by sundown.

Sticking to the dirt road leading to the Bridge of Tears was the safest way to travel, but it wasn't the easiest. For the lack of resistance activity in the area, they still had to worry about the dangerous animals that called the forest their home. Their journey had been a relatively silent one, neither he nor Faith spoke much, both lost in thought. Nathan couldn't stop thinking about what was going to happen once they got to the marina, he just wasn't sure. Though there were two definite outcomes: They would be welcomed with somewhat open arms and were allowed to stay there or they'd be greeted with the barrels of several AR's courtesies of the still very angry people.

In Nathan's sincere opinion: both offered an escape from the shit situation they were in, so both were equally welcomed.

Walking along he could see the road under the bridge. Few cars drove around, which was good. It wasn't that he feared anyone could see them from down there, _they couldn't_, but _they also could... _To his immediate left, he could see the Henbane River Bridge and the small red dots peppered throughout the Gardenview Orchards. The apples must be ripe already, or rotten after little maintenance was given.

"I can see the statue from here," Faith commented, pointing a finger at the twisted metal beams with very little concrete on them. "... Or what's left of it..."

Nathan remembered the day he and Hurk stormed over to the statue to destroy it and Faith's Bible. Both were a success, the statue fell and the book burnt to a crisp. Another thing he remembered was the fear in Faith's voice when she told him she'd be punished for his actions. Of course, back then he took her fear as a sign of a job well done. Later that day, back at the jailhouse several drinks with his name were waiting for him and rare praise from Tracey too.

"Well that thing was definitely sturdy, but nothing a well-placed explosion couldn't knock down." Nathan caught on to the sad look on Faith's face and knew it was best to change the subject for her sake at least.

"You know nothing was supposed to knock it down, right Nathan?" Faith questioned, not wanting to drop the subject all of a sudden. "If anything, _you_ were the one that was supposed to fall."

"Well rockets and I work in mysterious ways then, it's down and I'm not, at least not physically." Nathan shrugged his shoulders and smiled at her cute frown. "What? Don't believe I wouldn't be capable of doing it once over?"

"I never said anything even remotely close to that, " Faith defended herself, she really hadn't but she knew Nathan was only teasing her. "Although...

"_Although _what? I made it this far, that shit was a breeze!" Aside from almost losing one of his limbs because Hurk shot a rocket _way __too damn close _to him, the destruction of the statue and Faith's Bible had gone well.

"So you say..."

"_Hmph_, You're damn right I do." Nathan laughed quietly. He was in no position to stroke his own ego anymore, not that he ever was. "Ain't nothing I can't do, _except math, _but other than that? Nothing."

"Look, all I'm saying is you had help, _I SAW both of you..."_

"Meh, could've done it by myself if I had the RPG with me but I couldn't afford one so I had to improvise." It was obvious that was a lie, Nathan needed the backup more than he needed to buy a new wristwatch, which_ he really needed_. Hurk's help made things not only easier but possible because otherwise, he would've had to resort to chucking grenades and other explosives at the statue.

"I'm sure you could have." Faith rolled her eyes and smiled, she enjoyed having moments where the could just banter about whatever it was that was on their minds.

When they were around halfway through the bridge Faith began humming a song. It was one commonly played on the radio station that wasn't in Eden's Gate or Whitetail Militia control. _We'll Meet Again _or something like that was the name of the song. A little change from the usual cult classics she'd sing and honestly a more welcome one.

"So, things have been pretty quiet so far, let's hope they stay that way," Nathan spoke up, to no response from Faith. Odd. He looked up at the bright summer sky and sighed. The day was as normal as any. _Sun is up above, a little way too fucking hot, the birds are sing- __Oh, look a dead body... _

_"Nathan..."_

So things were quiet but they weren't going to go uneventful.

Nathan hadn't seen one of those in a while. It was that of a resistance soldier, more specifically a Cougar if the team's varsity jacket covered in blood and bullet holes was anything to go by. The body of a man laid feet away from them with the upper part of it covered in blood. In his hand was the handle of a grappling hook and it seemed he was attempting to climb down the bridge before whoever it was got him. The death wasn't recent, the smell gave it away instantly which gave the impression that the resistance wasn't doing a good job cleaning up their home.

_The guy's dead and here I am making jokes..._ Had Nathan seen the body only a few months back he would've been appalled and angry, now he didn't care in the slightest. He just wasn't fazed by it and didn't find any pity in him to muster a _'hope he died a painless death' _because the man obviously hadn't. No headshots and just his body was riddled with bullet wounds.

Another victim of the war with Eden's Gate, that's all they were to Nathan. He did wonder if the man had any relatives who had nary the idea of what might've happened to their husband, brother, cousin or whatever it was he was to someone. Well, he was a corpse, and wouldn't be returning to his family.

The sounds of Faith wanting to throw up kicked him out of his morbid thoughts. He saw her leaning over the railing and facing down to the lake, ready to let go of the bile in her throat.

"Let's keep going, just... don't look at it anymore." He advised her, hurriedly walking past the rotting corpse of one of the many deaths since the cult began its holy war.

"Just give me a minute..." Faith spurted out in between heaves and coughs. He heard the rapid patter of her footsteps hitting against the wooden floor as she caught up to him. Nathan shook his head when she began gulping down a bottle of water before promptly spitting some of it back out to rid her mouth from the taste of vomit.

They successfully made it across the Bridge Of Tears minutes later and almost immediately, he noted a change in Faith's attitude. Before their arrival to the Henbane territory, she had at least tried to hold a conversation-despite the mutual disinterest in conversing-but now? Not only had she let go of his hand she had previously held in an almost vice-like grip but any attempts from him to engage in chitchat were met with silence.

* * *

_"I think we should take a break..." Silence. No break was had either and her hand fell down away from his._

_"I don't know about you, but I just realized how much I missed this place..." No reaction. That was a lie he didn't actually miss the Henbane whatsoever._

_"Do you think Bigfoot's real? Friends of mine think so." His inquiries about the ape-like cryptid were met with a confused expression and zip, zilch. Nothing._

* * *

Instead of prodding her to see what was wrong or act offended, Nathan decided it'd be best to leave her to her own devices and thoughts. She must've still been shaken up because of the body or something, Nathan didn't know. _If she wants to talk she'll talk _was what he concluded. He could always play the role of supporting boyfriend, it was customary for him to do so.

_'The role of loving and supporting boyfriend' Christ, is what I see what I have with her as? A fucking role? Like a damn play... _No. Nathan did truly love her, more than anything at this point, but the little voice in his head always tried to tell him otherwise.

It was always dismissed, but not until after the seed of doubt was planted.

He stopped momentarily to take out a small candy bar from his pack. It was a strawberry licorice candy that he had nabbed from one of the cabinets in the kitchen of Robert's cabin. It, unlike his hunger, was gone in two quick bites.

Faith didn't stop and was walking ahead of him, so that gave him an ample view of her back. Her jeans complimented her lower figure nicely, and he began trailing his eyes downward to a pleasant distraction from the heat and the stress. So maybe the trip wouldn't be all that bad, as long as he stuck to watching their backs.

_She's obviously troubled about something and here I am staring at her ass, but no yeah, GREAT boyfriend and shit... _He averted his gaze back to the path they were walking through careful not to let them go downwards anymore

After minutes of walking, Nathan grew tired of the deafening silence between them. He also had to offer her reassurance for whatever it was that had kept her distant from him.

"Faith." He called to her, receiving a "yeah" and a small head turn. "You've been awfully quiet, is something wrong?"

Faith shook her head and stopped walking to face him. She looked unsure and her eyes became fixated on the small patch of Bliss flowers a few feet away from them. "It's uh... It's nothing, I'm just nervous that's all."

It was understandable that she would be nervous, after all, she would be speaking to the people that wanted her dead. Nathan was nervous as well, but he had to play it confident for her. If Faith found out he wasn't completely sure of what they were doing then she'd begin to have second thoughts, if she wasn't already having any.

"It's fine to be nervous, I understand the less than friendly history you have with the folks here."

_Less than friendly is really putting it lightly genius._

_Oh, shut the fuck up she knows what the fuck I mean._ Nathan wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in. The heat that radiated from his core delightfully suffocated Faith, her lips quickly found his enclosure and lost themselves in the sweet taste of both mint toothpaste and the strawberry candy bar he had a few minutes ago.

"I'm... I'm not too sure about this. I still feel like..." Her voice trailed off, though there was no need to continue, Nathan understood her well enough.

"It's okay to be nervous, look I know I may be asking for too much of you but I need you to trust me alright?" Nathan cupped her face in his hands and lifted it so she could face him directly. Things just _had _to work out, Nathan trusted Adelaide to keep her word. He also knew that if things didn't go as planned then he'd look like a fool to Faith, and also dead.

"Always." There was something about the sincerity in her voice that made Nathan feel undeserving of the amount of trust and devotion she had in him. It was only a matter of time before he ended up severely disappointing her.

"This is gonna pay off in the end, trust me." Pay off how? Nathan had no idea. Just because a select group of people were willing to hear them out didn't mean they'd like what they had to say. No, the mutual distrust was still very much there for both parties.

"I trust you, Nathan, I only hope your friends won't react violently that's all." Faith was afraid of what the people at the marina would do if the saw her. She only hoped the trust Nathan had on the owner he was friends with wasn't misplaced.

"Yeah, I und-" Nathan was cut-off by the sound of an animal growling. Quickly spinning around the pair saw a lonely wolf staring back at them with its teeth bared aggressively. It looked ready to pounce at any moment.

_The fuck? __How long had it been here?_

Immediately Nathan brought up his handgun and aimed. The wolf didn't look like a threat at all, it was extremely thin and was missing most of its fur. The sight of the poor creature, obviously suffering from rabies and scabies riddled skin, almost to the point where it looked like gangrene. It was uncommon to see animals in such as state as the wolf was in, but not extremely so.

Another growl this time followed by a pitiful whine. It was obvious that the creature was in pain and lots of it. The sight of it was making the pair increasingly disgusted and in Faith's case, slightly fearful.

"Nathan..." Faith whispered, she stood behind him with her hands tightly gripping the back of his shirt. Nathan hoped she didn't mind the sweat.

"Yeah, I know." Nathan didn't feel like killing it, not out of the fear of any guilt or anything, it's just that he'd rather conserve the ammunition he had. The discharge of his weapon proved enough to scare it off. The wolf scampered off to the woods, never to be seen again. The hungry, hungry wolf hadn't had a chance to eat today it seemed, foiled by Nathan's gun.

"That did not look healthy, at all." Though Faith had seen somewhat worse. Jacob's judges weren't the prettiest sight by any means nor were they the friendliest. To her, they were and around her and Jacob they acted somewhat docile but around anyone else they were the meanest they could be.

"Yeah, no, it was fucking gross." Nathan holstered his weapon and stared as the creature sped off. Keeping the Hope County wildlife at bay was probably going to be a regular thing on their trip to the marina.

"C'mon, let's keep on going. If we're fast enough, we'll make it there before sundown." The sense of urgency grew stronger because of their encounter with the animal. It could've been a wolf in its prime, an extremely pissed off elk or even worse a bear. looking for a meal. Much like their human counterparts, cougars were also very common in the Henbane River so there was that to worry about as well.

"Okay."

Faith let Nathan take the lead trusting that his more watchful eyes could spot any other dangers quicker than hers. She couldn't help but stare at him as his stoic manner wishing they could have some alone time so she could help ease his always on-edge attitude.

_Maybe later..._

The day had been everything _but _uneventful. It was full of unpleasant surprises and it didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. All that was becoming increasingly irritating to Nathan. Then again he was easier to irritate these days, there was always something that put him in a sour mood be it the threat of him and Faith dying or just how bad his life was in general. All he wanted was for things to go steady but he couldn't even have that. He never seemed to have any serenity of his own.

If he had a breaking point, then Nathan knew he was reaching it soon.

* * *

Nathan could see they were approaching one of the many abandoned gas stations in the area. It could serve as a small resting stop before they continued their trek to the marina. Hopefully, no one was inside and although it looked empty as usual, Nathan wasn't one to take his chances anymore.

"Let's stop for a while, look over there at that gas station, we'll rest for a little bit, get our bearings and head out." He slid his hand back with hers without any rejection and led her over to the gas station.

They stopped near the gas pumps to scan the outside of the store for any potential threats. Once Nathan saw the coast was clear he signaled for Faith to stay put so he could check if the inside was empty. He handed her his handgun as a '_just in case_' and walked inside the station with his rifle cradled in his arms, safety off and barrel aimed straight ahead.

Stepping inside he didn't see anything out of the ordinary, just an empty convenience store but that didn't stop him from swooping around the entire store just in case anything was hiding. No other living being, _aside from a couple of wayward flies buzzing above an open bag of beef jerky_, was in here with him

He could see there was nothing wrong with the place and it'd be a perfect place to rest for a while. It was better than being outside in the heat and speaking of which:

"There's no one here," Nathan called out to Faith, waving his arm and kicking himself for leaving her out there the open as vulnerable as she was. He was grateful no one had seen her.

Once they settled themselves inside the store as best they could with the feeling of gloom looming over them. They tried to brighten up the mood by talking but that fell flat after a while. Eating in silence followed soon after both finding the bag of salt potato chips far more interesting than any small talk

After they were done, Faith decided to take matters into her own hands and sauntered over to Nathan. "Y'know, we _are _alone here..."

"So?" It took a minute for Nathan to understand just what she was insinuating but when he did, he smirked. She wasn't proposing they do the deed in this dingy, old gas station was she?_ I mean, not that I'd say no or anything..._ Except he _was_ going to say no. He wasn't in the mood to do anything at all.

"There's a fun danger factor and all, but let's wait, I'm fucking tired right now, " Nathan sat next to the vending machine, maybe if liquor were on the menu instead of grape soda he'd mourn over the fact it was empty. Instead, he had to settle for water like always. Not that there was anything wrong about water but when they had been drinking nothing but water, everything seemed wrong about it.

"Okay, so what are you going to tell the people at the marina when we get there?"

"My side," _My side... _Nathan wasn't sure where he'd begin when telling them '_his side'_, maybe around the time when everyone fucked him over. _Yeah, that'll be a hit with the crowd..._

"Oh, and I guess I'll have to tell them mine right?" If at any point Faith felt she had asked a stupid question, it was now but she just wanted confirmation.

"That's the plan darling... Just tell them the truth, about everything." The '_darling_' was sarcastic and not at all reassuring, as was every other word that followed. Probably to tease her because of the absurdity of her question.

"Even our relationship?" Faith wondered if they would have to hide the fact that they loved each orher. She would do it if Nathan wanted to, albeit very reluctantly.

"I don't know about that one actually... I mean the worst has happened already between them and us, I'm pretty sure them knowing we're an item or something won't matter much." Nathan didn't want to hide it but he also didn't want to make it public in case they somehow believed Faith seduced him to doing her bidding. _Then things could get bad..._

Nathan saw the look of uncertainty in her face and groaned. What was irritating him? Faith? What would have to go down when they got to their destination? Himself?

_It's probably all three, _but he decided to be a complete ass and address Faith. He told her to trust him? Why was she still so hesitant? Did his words not mean anything?

"Look, I get it you're scared but I mean c'mon Faith, it ain't that hard to _oh... I don't know_, _give your side."_ Faith ignored the irritation in his voice, _what was his problem?_ She didn't know.

"First you're hesitant to accept help from your other friends and now I can't be hesitant to speak to people who hate me?" There was no verbal response, nothing but a uninterested shrug that infuriated Faith. "Why are you acting so nonchalantly about things? This isn't easy for me Nathan and you know it..."

"And what? You think this is easy for me or what?" His voice, while not near yelling levels of loud, was still louder than Faith had ever heard him direct towards her. She stood almost bewildered at his sudden lash out. _Jesus Christ, calm the fuck down... _He ignored the voice in his head and stood up.

_What did I do wrong? I was being honest... _Faith was about to respond but Nathan continued.

"Look, I'm not sure that this isn't going to end badly, I'm really not." Nathan continued, the pent up frustration was really showing. "For all I know, as soon as we fucking step foot near the place we could already have like ten rifles trained on us!"

"And that's what frustrates me the most. The fact that I can never be sure about anything anymore, that being stuck with this sense of paranoia, where _everything_ is an enemy and nothing will ever safe is the only way to live." Nathan slid back down the wall and unto the floor, burrowing his head in his hands and tucking them neatly in his knees.

Faith kneeled down to attempt to comfort him by holding him in her arms, his head nestled in her chest. "What's wrong?" She asked both herself and Nathan.

"It's just I ... I _can't_ do this anymore..." Nathan finally let out what had been a long time coming. "I don't know what the fuck it was I was aiming for when we left the jail but it sure as shit wasn't this!"

"God, I let everyone down, everyone... Things had been going really fucking smooth before..." Nathan laughed almost immediately as the words left his mouth. "Smooth? Who the hell am I kidding, things never went smooth for me..."

Faith had never heard him sound so defeated before. It was wrong, Nathan wasn't supposed to sound like that, never. She wanted nothing more than to help him, but she didn't think she could offer any help aside from lending an ear to his troubles, much like he had done so many times for her.

"I really thought I was doing the right thing, didn't I?" Faith didn't answer, not that he expected any for a rhetorical question. There was that bitterness in his voice... Faith had never heard it before but she hated it. "Nate shows up with Faith Seed and everything's fine and fucking dandy, eh? I got what I deserved for being so damn naive."

Faith understood the pressure Nathan was in, he was bound to break at any moment _that_ she knew for a long time already but to see it happen wasn't something she had prepared for. Ever since they had escaped from the resistance Nathan had to carry the burden of knowing he let everyone he ever called a friend down.

"I mean, really? They'd just agree with it all, _fuck_... How fucking dumb was I to think so?" Nathan's self-hatred hurt her,

Nathan abruptly shoved himself away from her embrace and gazed at her directly. _You were trying to get her out of Hope County, you couldn't even do that... No, no I couldn't._

"And then there's you... Faith, I told you I was getting you out of this place, away from these people." He couldn't even do that, and he tried. Nathan really did try. "We're still here and now, I'm knowingly bringing you to them!"

_I didn't try hard enough..._

"Instead of doing what I promised you I was going to do: _get you out of here_, we're on a loop around course back into the place where this whole shitstorm started..."

"Like was any better before. Sometimes I'd ask myself: _What the hell are we doing? _We fuck, pass out for most of the day, eat whatever damn scraps we could have and repeat. Half the time I was so out of it I knew that if anyone found us we'd be dead. Clipped and gone. What the hell were we doing?"

Faith asked herself that question many times before as well. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy doing the things she did with Nathan, she very much did but when most of their days consisted of doing only that and not much else except sleep... She would wonder if that was all that there'd be to life on the run.

"I don't know..." Her lame response was acknowledged by Nathan in the form of a quiet snort. _Of course, you don't...Not even I knew..._

"I failed everyone. You, the resistance, Jess, Whitehorse, Eli, everyone... I've made too many mistakes that I won't be able to fix, burnt bridges I won't be able to build back." Nathan stared silently at the floor for a few minutes, almost falling asleep when he spoke up again, his voice almost cracking near the beginning. "I was only trying to do the right thing, and life just fucked me over like always. Ever since I stepped foot in this damn county..."

"So, the people that doubted I could pull this off, they... they were right. I can't, and I'm done trying to prove them otherwise. God knows no one fucking gives a shit anymore..." Faith didn't know who exactly he was referring to. Was it his old allies? Joseph and the Cult? Both?

"Who did I think I was fooling? I'm a deputy, not invincible in any way. Fooling myself probably, for thinking I could do this..."

"Everything's going to be okay, alright?" Faith ran her fingers through his hair and pressing her body against his in a tight hug.

"No, it's not." Nathan knew he sounded like a child but at this point, he didn't care and neither did Faith. She placed her lips on his reluctant ones and kissed him deeply with as much passion as she could muster.

"_Yes, it is Nathan_. We'll go see your friends and you can begin to have your old life again!" It was for her to be confident when the person who seemed to exude so much of it sat in a pool of disappointment and self-hatred. Faith missed his confidence, wherever it was it wasn't here. Nothing but defeat laid in its stead.

"And, after all of this is over, after everything's been said and done, we'll have all the time in the world to ourselves. Just me and you, free to live out our own." She echoed the soothing words he had spoken to her many times before when she felt down and unsure.

"That does sound rather nice," Nathan admitted, he didn't believe such a thing could ever be a reality but he could be a hypocrite and say that there was nothing wrong with dreaming. _I can dream all I fucking want, don't mean __shit._ "Y'know I also believed in fantasies, I'm so glad I ain't five anymore..."

_I sure as hell seem to be acting like I am._

If the snide comment was heard by Faith then she didn't show it instead she held him tighter to her body. Rare were the times when she would have to comfort him, it was usually the other way around but she didn't mind. Despite how off it felt to see the love of her life in such a fragile mental state it wouldn't hinder her. She owed him the comfort and so much more. "I know you're hurting Nathan, and I can help you..." Her voice was starting to really soothe him.

"I don't think you can at this point, I'm a fucking mess Faith..."

_"Then let me try then..._Nathan, I know you feel like you've failed everyone and I want you to know that it's not true. You haven't failed anyone, not me and not your old friends." She stopped and placed a kiss on his forehead. "The thing is that's not true."

"You've done everything you can to make me feel loved, and I want to do the same to you because you're not alone anymore because you have me and you always will." Faith brought up what he had done for her, without asking for anything in return. The selflessness he showed everyday only made her love him more.

"I know I do," Nathan knew he was leaning slightly on her but he didn't know where exactly, he felt exhausted and her voice only increased the feeling. Nathan figured he could give in to her comforting words

"And about your friends just... give them another chance to hear you out Nathan. To give _your _side of the story, to give you a chance to have your old life back." Faith went on, though to Nathan the only validation he would ever need was hers.

They talked for a few more minutes until his answers to her questions became shorter and the silence between them grew longer. Soon enough there were no answers, unless she would take snoring as one.

Faith knew Nathan had passed out from the stress and exhaustion so he wasn't listening to her anymore but that didn't matter. She didn't mind babbling to herself. "Everything's going to be okay..." Or so she tried her hardest to believe.

* * *

Nathan raised his head slightly to glimpse at his surroundings but found himself unable to see anything aside from the words _'**Adderon Performance'**_ imprinted in his shirt. Except he wasn't the one wearing it, it was Faith.

Nathan knew he was lightly leaning on her since he fell asleep the day before. His face was resting comfortably in-between the letters D and N, with his cheek on top of her right breast. Another thing he could feel, or rather _not feel_, was any fabric underneath the shirt, meaning she wasn't wearing a bra. Almost immediately he felt the blood rush to his face and he remembered what had happened the day before.

_Now she knows..._

Nathan lifted his head away from her and to his surprise Faith was awake, minding her own business. Their eyes met and she smiled. Her eyes looked down to where his head had been comfortably laying on top of then back at him.

"So uhmm... What uh... what time is it?" The awkward stammering didn't help the blush he wore. Faith giggled and tapped at his wristwatch lightly, urging him to read it

"Good morning to you too! It's almost eight in the morning, you slept through sundown yesterday, and nighttime too." Her smile grew wider as she saw the look of surprise he had. _He looks so cute, almost as much as when he sleeps..._

"You stayed up?" When they got to the gas station it had been almost 7 PM, meaning he was probably reaching too far when he calculated their before sundown arrival to the marina.

"I did, I mean _someone_ had to keep an eye out." Faith didn't mind holding him throughout the night,

"I guess... Faith, I uh, about yesterday..." What was he going to say? Whatever it was Faith had no interest in, she knew Nathan would be uncomfortable speaking about his breakdown.

"Don't worry about it, Nathan I understand..."

That was good, because he didn't really feel like talking about it. He was contempt with leaving it behind him, what was said already.

In a way, Nathan felt rejuvenated and took solace in the knowledge that he was fine with everything else as long as he had the love of his life with him. It would still take some time to come to terms with the feeling of failure that permeated in his mind, but as long as he had Faith with him he could do it.

* * *

**AN: Well it's up, that's good. My less than stellar internet stopped me from uploading it yesterday and earlier today but it has been fixed.**** I'm not sure when the next update is coming**** but it's coming.** **I hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you when I see you.**


	25. Electric Stories

"Dep it's been a while since ya' last called, you said you were entering the region, how's the progress been?"

A day had passed since Nathan had told Adelaide he was on his way out of Holland Valley, and she had expected his arrival hours after their last talk. The trip wasn't a long one; according to him, he wasn't very far from the Henbane River outskirts so that meant the journey would've been a short one of maybe three hours. That turned out to not be the case as he called in in the early morning, after a day of radio silence, to tell her he was on his way.

_"It's uh... well, I'm making notable progress, I can already see the marina from here I think." _That was good, it meant they weren't too far from each other. Adelaide was everything but stupid, she knew the reason he kept talking as if he was alone in the journey to her marina. She'd play along for his sake; Faith Seed apparently no longer existed.

_"Would've been there since yesterday but shit happened."_ Deciding not to ask what he meant by "shit happening", Adelaide knew it'd be best o get an estimate as to how long it would be till he and Faith got to her marina.

"When's shit not going down huh? Anyway, how long d'ya think it'll be till ya' get here? Sundown's fast approaching deputy..."

_"Hmmm, I don't know actually... Two hours maybe? give or take. We'll be there today for sure._ _How long have we been fuckin' walking for already?"_

Adelaide heard him address someone, it was obvious who it was, so maybe she _did_ exist. Though the radio quality was pretty terrible, Adelaide could still hear him murmuring to the not-so-mystery person periodically, their voices barely audible over the sounds of footsteps on the grass and gravel. The static didn't help either but she cou-

_Was that a laugh?_

Indeed it was, Adelaide could hear quiet giggling from the other side. _What in the... _The conversation they were having was far enough from the radio that she could only hear snippets of it, but her curiosity was eating away at her.

_"Two hours huh? You sure you ain't tired? Alright..."_

She heard him ask the Bliss lady, or whatever her name was, she tended to forget it sometimes. The static wasn't enough to mask the concerned tone of his voice. _That's odd..._

"Hey dep, ya' still there?" The quiet laughter immediately died down and Nathan's voice came through again.

_"Oh, yeah sorry Adelaide... We're at the hmmm... Christ, it's hot as shit right now."_

Resisting the urge to comment _"No shit, it's the middle of summer"_, Adelaide decided to bring the topic back to a more important matter. She was expecting no answer but she figured it would not hurt to try.

"Haven't run into any problems have ya', county ain't exactly as welcoming as it once was, right Dep?" An obvious understatement, but it wouldn't hurt to ask. Adelaide wasn't great at small talk, ever since her girlfriends all left to join the cult and then killed by Nathan, she didn't have many people to have conversations with.

_"We came across a rabid wolf, but I scared it off, oh and a dead body. I mean, not much else thankfully, that's about it." _

"She's uh... She's there with ya' eh dep?" Stupid question aside, Adelaide was curious about what the response would be. Silence followed for about ten seconds, then came the hesitant reply.

_"Yes, why?"_

Adelaide caught on to the defensive way he responded, there was a hint of annoyance in his voice like he had expected her to ask the very same question or at least something similar.

"Just makin' sure, can I talk to her?" Immediately she knew the answer would be no, and while he didn't exactly say _No_, he immediately dropped the subject with a tone of finality.

_"This... Whatever it is, it can wait, can't it? Were almost there Mrs. Drubman..."_

Very well, Adelaide could keep quiet but both of them knew that once the pair got there, there would be explanations from both of them. For now, she could be patient...

"Alright honey, and what the hell did I tell ya' 'bout calling me Mrs. Drubman, _it's Adelaide, _deputy!" Countless times had Adelaide had to remind Nathan to call her by her first name. _Countless..._

_"Sorry, I forget! What's so bad about me calling you that?"_

"Well, one: it makes me feel old, and two: I ain't married to that son of a bitch back at the fort anymore. I am a free woman." _And thank God for that! _The day Adelaide's signature was imprinted on the divorce papers was one of the happiest days of her life, more so than the day she _got _married.

Laughter, but only his, came in response. _"__Alright, Adelaide, anyway I gotta go but I'll keep in contact. Nathan out."_

"Alright Rook, we'll be waiting for ya', Adelaide out." Everything would start to come together or fall apart in a few hours.

* * *

Adelaide felt contempt with her life for the most part. She had her marina to herself after a long legal battle with the piece of shit at the Fort, Xander was as delectable and as flexible as ever, and Hurk... well, he called every day so that was good-ish (when he wasn't talking her ear off about whatever the hell he and Sharky were up to). To her, things were as normal as they could be without the intrusiveness of Edens Gate and she was perfectly fine with it. Life was returning to normal for everyone it seemed.

_For everyone except him..._

Why Nathan chose to save Faith, despite everything she had done to the people of the Henbane was a mystery to her as it was to everyone in the region. Theories ranged from manipulation with Bliss, seduction to an elaborate plan from the Father or something along those lines. Rarely did they ever tread on the "he was trying to do the right thing" territory she and many others assumed was the definitive answer. And that brought her to her next thought:

Was _she _doing the right thing? Helping Nathan and Faith out in the place almost _everyone, _save for a select few, wanted them dead was extremely dangerous. Not that the particularly scared her, after the shit she had been through with Hurk Sr. during their marriage and the whole conflict with the cult, she found it particularly hard to be fazed by anything anymore.

Still, she wasn't going to go out and say he didn't deserve at least a little bit of what he got. Now, she wasn't talking about him having to run away in fear of being killed, but Nathan should have known people weren't going to react positively to the news, Adelaide didn't do so herself. She was pissed, but not to the point of wanting to kill the man and when she found out he had fled with Faith Seed because of the backlash (which the word was putting it lightly), anger turned to concern.

Now, now she understood that the deputy might be angry at what happened and, much like the anger everyone else showed months ago, he had a right to be angry. Adelaide understood what it felt like to give so much to something, _or someone_, and get nothing in return. Though marriage and running away in fear of death were very different situations, she could see faint similarities, in the sense of escaping a hostile environment. The build-up was even somewhat similar, both started off at a high then it all came crashing down though in her situation she put up with it for a long time. Adelaide understood Nathan couldn't do the same out of fear of being killed by his own allies...

Except that in the end, Adelaide was lucky enough to have a fresh start in life, Nathan didn't have the same chance. So maybe he was trying to do the "right thing" the day he saved Faith Seed from her demise, but it was the aftermath of the "right thing" that caused his downfall.

In the meanwhile, she was worried about what Hurk and Sharky knew. For as much as she loved her son and nephew, _God damn_, were they incredibly stupid. She was thankful it was only a love for firearms that Hurk had gotten from his father and not his tendency to insult people for their political opinions. There was being a proud Republican much like herself, then there was being Hurk Sr. and Hurk Junior was neither surprisingly. Victor was an odd case, who the hell has such a hard-on for fire?

The fact that Nathan had placed such trust in them only proved the desperate situation he found himself in. She would have to talk to them to see how much they knew of the current situation. With certainty, Adelaide knew Nathan hadn't yet told them of his departure from Holland Valley, he had told her so.

That was good, the less they knew the better. In case someone found out they knew where Nathan and Faith once were, they would be long gone already.

* * *

"Well to be honest Adelaide, the guy fucked up and he fucked up bad..." George, the local weapons dealer answered the question she had been asking many: _What do you think about the situation?_

"God damn, I know, but the folks 'round here fucked up too no?"

"Oh, for certain they did but what's there to do? Tensions were through the fuckin' roof and that added a shit ton of fuel to an already unstable fire..." He was right, anyway Nathan would've gone about things reactions were going to be hostile. People had enough of the cult and wanted it gone from the county, it didn't matter how.

"You're right, anyways I'll leave you to it..."

"Later."

Thankfully, he was one of the more sensible ones. Several others were still unwilling to listen but were quick to keep their mouth shut at the promise of a new home, unaware that the real estate business had hit a snag since the arrival of Eden's Gate. And it wasn't like that particular group of people had anything against Nathan himself, most were surprised and relieved to hear from the deputy after so long. It was the person he was with who they were unwilling to even let anywhere near them.

Glancing at the pier she saw Xander admiring the lake and taking in the view. Unlike her, he liked to focus on the "smaller things" in life, whatever the hell that meant. Being her significant other, Adelaide felt compelled to remind him of what was to happen later on in the day.

"Honey I forgot to tell ya', Nathan's gonna be here in a few hours, apparently something happened yesterday, and he couldn't make it then.'

"Who's Nathan?"

_Of course..._ Adelaide had forgotten that not many people knew Nathan by name, most knew him as either Deputy or Rook. She recalled the time she tried calling him Nate and received a sour expression in response. Though it didn't matter if people knew his name or not, with his face plastered on wanted posters all across the county, everyone knew what he looked like.

"The deputy, Xander, that's who Nathan is..."

"Oh, that's his name? I always thought it was Daniel or Alan or something" He stood silent for a few moments, looking pensive about something.

"Where the hell did ya' get Daniel from?"

"Not sure darling, where'd his parent get _Nathan_ from?" Good point. Oh, for as perfect of a body he had, Xander obviously lacked in the smarts department. Priorities for him were also warped because almost immediately, he forgot about Nathaniel or whatever his name was. "Yoga later?"

And for a moment, so did she.

"Wouldn't miss it for the sweetheart. Alright, I'll call ya' later honey." _Call... _That reminded Adelaide that she had to call Hurk and Sharky to see what they knew about Nathan's whereabouts. Calling him was something she rarely did, oftentimes it was Hurk who called her to check up on her or ask for money to buy whatever new rifle HK had released.

"You've reached the Shurky Bros. Hurk speaking" A voice similar to that of his father when he was younger and not a chainsmoking piece of shit among other things...

"Junior! I need to ask you something, about our deputy friend..."

"If it's what I think it is: No. He ain't looking for a relationship mom, though he is a better option than Mr. Diet over there with you..." Cane the curt reply and a laugh from Victor.

"What!? No. He called me Hurk, told me he's at the Holland Valley, are you there? _Play it dumb Addie..._

"Sure I'm here with Sharky buying some chow."

"He uh... He also told me you knew where he was."

" Yeah, sure, whatever Nate's fine where he's at right now."

"And where's that?" She didn't know if it was because she was his mother and therefore was more trusted but information slipped fast from Hurk.

"At the clinic, why didn't he tell you this himself?"

"Alright bye Junior, stay out of God damn trouble will ya', medical bills are fucking expensive!" Hanging up Adelaide sighed in relief, thankfully they were still blissfully unaware of where Nathan was. It would be up to him for how long he'd keep in the dark.

* * *

"Alright momma, bye-bye. Sharky says Hi."

Unbeknownst to them, someone had been listening to the entire conversation. It was honestly their fault for having the call in the back of the gun shop at Falls End where Grace had only minutes prior bought ammunition for her rifle. The cousins weren't known for having a voice volume that was anything but _loud._

"Alright so now my mom knows, wonder why Nate told her. Don't make much sense but aight'..."

"Yeah, but that only makes three..."

_Not quite..._

"So, Nathan's not too far from here huh?" Grace's voice caused them to immediately jump in shock. They both stared at her, unsure of what to do or say.

"Grace?" Came the high pitched squeak from Sharky.

"Relax, I ain't mad, 'least not that much... But the cat's outta the bag fellas, Rook and Faith are here in the Valley and you know where..." She would have to tell Jerome about it quickly and maybe other people too.

"And be lucky it was me that overhead you and not God forbid Jess, she'd have probably beaten you to death for any information on them..." Grace knew it was probably for the best that they hold off on the information from Jess, who knew how she would react. It was probable that she would she over as fast as she possibly could.

"It's crucial that we find them before it's too late and someone else does..."

Unfortunately, things would lead to a dead-end like always. Their search would be going nowhere and the pair would continue their journey unaware of how close they had come to being found...

* * *

Adelaide stood at the dirt road leading up to her marina, eyeing the two figures approaching in the distance. She felt a migraine incoming and wished more than ever for something to alleviate the pain. Usually, she'd resort to a cigar but they had run out of cigarettes a couple of days ago which was bad because she was itching for one. One of the very few things Hurk Sr. did right was keeping an ungodly amount of premium Cuban cigars stashed away for his hourly consumption. Now she had to settle for cheap ones that barely did their job and just left a sour taste in her mouth.

Thankfully that was the only thing she had to "settle" for, ever since the divorce, and nothing else...

She heard several footsteps behind her, and the hushed whispers of onlookers that stared intently at the approaching figures. Minutes passed and though once miles away, he now stood only three feet away from her...

There he was, Deputy Rook in all his... well _glory_ wasn't the right word to use, he looked like utter shit. Gone was the tall, proud figure the people of the county had become so familiar with and in its stead laid a man with a look of utter defeat. His face was gaunt and his eyes had dark rings under them with the left one having a noticeable red bump next to it.

"Hey..." His deep voice had a raspy tone to it, sounding almost nothing like he did not long ago. His eyes were shifting from person to person in split-second intervals landing on Adelaide, Xander, and everyone else. Eyes that now lacked the trust and warmth they glistened with not long ago.

The way his fingers danced on the trigger of his rifle wasn't so much in a hostile way as it was in a fearful one, but since he was the only one with his weapon out it made him look more paranoid than defensive. All others were holstered but that didn't seem to put him at ease. Nathan's defense was at an all-time high. It was so off-putting to everyone to see the deputy in such a deteriorated state in what was only a few months. A far cry from the deputy everyone was familiar with.

"Deputy, it's uh... It's nice to see ya' again." Adelaide couldn't bring herself to say much, her attention wasn't on Nathan anymore by then. The woman standing close behind him grasping the back of his shirt tightly with her eyes averted from all was the one thing Adelaide could focus on at the moment.

Faith Seed sure looked different without that signature dress of hers' or the trademark sense of calmness she exuded. No more smiles or singing, only fear and-

"Yeah... likewise I guess." Attention was diverted back to Nathan who was busy placing himself in between Faith and the staring eyes. Already she took it as an indicator that things would not be going smooth at all.

_Great, this is gonna be a fucking trip... _Adelaide really wanted a cigar now, her head was fucking killing her...

* * *

**AN: This chapter's a bit late because I was busy pouring some hours into Borderlands 3 (Moze is the best) and the Modern Warfare beta. Good times were had with both. The next chapter... hmmm, I don't know about that one. I'm going to be extremely busy with some personal stuff in the upcoming weeks so the next update probably won't be until mid-October.** **Throughout the weeks I'll be going over some of my old chapters and stuff.**


	26. Friendly Waters

The Henbane River brought Jess a plethora of memories, all mixing into something bittersweet. This was where she and Nathan had met up again to bring down what was left of Eden's Gate, it was also where that didn't happen, at least not to the full extent everyone had hoped for.

She still couldn't quite wrap her head around the fact that Nathan had thrown everything away for Faith Seed. After everything he had done, after he had single-handedly brought down the other two Seed brothers, he ended fucking it all up, and royally so.

Now, he was on the run with that whore right behind.

Hatred was putting her feelings towards Faith lightly, Jess absolutely despised her. Ever since Nathan brought her to the jailhouse, she played her little tricks with the deputy being none the wiser to them. Not surprising, she was good at what she did otherwise the title of manipulator would've been undermined.

Jess was still quite proud of that right hook she landed on the stupid whore's face, regardless of Nathan's reprimand. It was supposed to teach her a lesson and to be the first step to make her submissive to interrogation, but Nathan just had to get in the way, didn't he?

He really went through that promise of keeping Faith safe, with no regard for how that would end up turning out for him... _Why didn't you go through with it dumbass? Why'd you have to fuck it all up?..._

There was no point dwelling in the "why's" and "what if's". What was important now was to find them and to clear Nathan's name with the resistance. Jess knew they wouldn't suffice with them just murdering Faith, and neither was she. They had to get information off her so they could find Joseph and put an end to him and his cult.

And to do that, Nathan had to be out of the picture. He'd have to be turned against her and leave her defenseless and alone. How? That was something Jess asked herself almost daily, but that was all still just an afterthought. Whatever she had planned for Faith, it wouldn't be a possibility until after she found them.

_And find them I fucking will..._

For as much confidence she had in Nate's ability to survive in the wilderness, after all, Jess had a hand in it, he couldn't last very long. Especially not with Faith in tow.

Yet part of her couldn't be so sure anymore, after all, it had been close to three months since Nathan ran away with the flower bitch. Who knew what had happened in all that time?

Jess had to go with the most probable answer which was that they were still hiding out in the middle of nowhere, down on their luck and desperate. It was better than the alternative which was Faith manipulating Nathan to join Eden's Gate.

Jess's trip to the river wasn't just to scheme her plan, that was all for some later time. She had come to know more about Faith, but Tracey was nowhere to be seen, according to Whitehorse she was out on scavenging for supplies. Apparently, she was useful for something other than bitching about the cult all day long.

Jess was never a fan of Tracey, as a matter of fact, she despised her for some odd reason. And also, unlike everyone else in the jailhouse, she wasn't even remotely afraid or intimidated by her or her attitude. They had butted heads more than once regarding how to deal with the cult, it was usually Nathan or the sheriff who had to intervene as to avoid any violence.

_Like that bitch could ever even touch me..._

And yet despite all of that, Jess listened and went along with her plan to rid themselves of Faith. It was a stupid idea, Nathan would have never gone along with the ultimatum he had been given.

_So why the fuck did I do it?_

If Jess had to guess, it was probably because she was desperate. Desperate and angry that Nathan had been quick to fall for such a lousy sob story. She, like everyone else, wanted to prevent Faith from completely messing with Nathan's mind and to put an end to the Seed's

Except that wasn't simply it, Jess knew there was something more to it, something no one else knew but her. She tried denying it for as long as possible, since back at the Whitetail Mountains to no avail. It was a more personal reason than simply Nathan being brainwashed, though it did have something to do with that.

Okay so maybe after all, after all the times she told herself it was nothing major and she'd quickly get over it, she did like him, but so fucking what? Didn't really matter anymore, did it? Besides, now wasn't the time to dwell on that not anymore. Whether there was supposed to be something more, Jess had no time to think about. Her priority was to find them and that was it, not to daydream on the "could've been's" of life.

* * *

"No sign of either of them back at the Valley?" That had to be the seventh time she had been asked that exact same question, to the same damn answer.

"No, if they were ever there then they left." And that was the seventh time Jess responded with the same thing. She didn't see them and hadn't ever seen them since they supposedly entered Holland Valley. What was so hard to understand? Did she have to make a fucking announcement on the damn intercom?

Jess never liked being the center of attention, way hated it. Even when working with Nathan, she was more than okay with him being the only one receiving the praise and a "job well done", from the people if only because Jess knew it didn't go to his head.

Walking around the common grounds, she could see the people wandering about. Why some decided to stay was beyond her, Jess was sure some still had their homes intact. Even Nathan wandered around from place to place in the Henbane, mainly because it was to liberate the outposts scattered throughout. Jess knew he rarely slept in the jailhouse, usually, he rested in whatever cabin or trailer park he could find that wasn't occupied. Jess herself preferred to live off the land like she knew best. Though sometimes temperatures became too overbearing and off she was to the nearest prepper bunker.

"Hey, over here!" Jess heard someone call her. Looking around the area she saw a group of people, they were three, waving her over. Jess would've liked to have told them to fuck off but she didn't, instead, she walked over to them and approached the nearest one to her, a young-looking girl.

"Hey, you're Jess Black, right?" She asked eagerly, and almost immediately she got on Jess's nerves.

"No shit." Her less than friendly response didn't seem to bother the girl who nodded to the other two with her and then looked back at Jess.

"You're still looking for the deputy aren't ya'? So are we!" That wasn't surprising in the slightest.

They were barely in their twenties by the looks of it. Eager to prove themselves, to feel like they were making some sort of difference. Jess hated to burst their collective bubbles (She really didn't.), but there wasn't much of a difference to make anymore, at least not regarding Eden's Gate unless they were ready to go look for the Father. Maybe that was why they had their sights on Nathan and Faith.

"We've been searching around for them all over the river but so far we've gotten nowhere." She continued, garnering nods from her friends. "And we figured, since you hung around him a whole lot, that you could help us?"

The girl, Samantha, turned her attention back to the huntress. That's when Jess noticed the rifle she had in her arms, it was Nathan's. She knew it was because of the red and black color scheme, and the recon scope. It was one he'd never leave on missions without and now it was in the arms of an inexperienced "soldier" who probably wanted to use it on him.

Where the hell did she get it?

"So, miss Black wanna help us hunt down Faith and the deputy?"

"I mean, you don't gotta if you don't want to..." The one with the red rain jacket next to the girl told her. Earning a "Shut the fuck up Daniel..." from Samantha.

The question shouldn't have angered her as much as it did, maybe it was the way she nonchalantly used the word 'hunt' like they were game or sport. Nathan wasn't game for them, or anyone, to hunt down. Faith? Okay, maybe she could agree but not Nathan. Now, had their intention been to find and help him, Jess wouldn't have a problem helping them out, but the connotations of the word were clear.

"You gonna hunt them with that?" She asked, pointing a finger at the gun she carried. "Good fucking luck..."

"What do you mean?" The girl and her friends looked at each other confused, they had expected her to agree. Jess shook her head and chuckled quietly.

"You're not gonna hunt down the deputy, that's what I mean..." Jess began to walk away when suddenly Samantha called out angrily.

"Hey, we're just trying to look out for our homes, we ain't got nothing personal against the rookie!" Bullshit, these people were of the majority that wanted both Nathan and Faith dead.

"If you really had nothing against him, he would still be here no?" I could ask myself that same fucking question... Except this wasn't about her. Santha scoffed angrily, Jess knew she was pushing her buttons.

"Wasn't our fault he was dumb enough to fall for Faith Seed..." It was still up for debate on what truly went on between Nathan and Faith, so Jess couldn't really say the girl had a point.

Besides all of that, what the hell did they know about hunting? These kids looked way too unfit to even know how to reload a weapon. It was obvious that the rifle was way too fucking heavy for the girl. The other guy, Daniel, had his damn safety off and his finger dangerously close to the trigger. The one in the red jacket looked uncomfortable holding that rifle in his arms like it had some sort of fucking disease only he knew about.

It was people like these that were going to be a real problem. Not in the sense that they put Nathan in any danger, it was quite the opposite.

Jess knew that even some of the more capable fighters were hesitant about trying to take Nathan head-on in a firefight. Which is why anytime there was a search party around the area it usually consisted of five to six people. If these kids were dumb enough to try and take Nathan on, it would end badly for everyone involved. Them because they'd most likely die, and Nathan because he'd only damage his own image even further than what it was. Self-defense or not, people weren't going to give a shit.

"Good fucking luck if you're planning on hunting them down, by the way, do the Scouts still sell cookies?" Jess walked away from the group, far more pissed than she was before. Again, it was the same shit with these people, they acted as if Nathan was a simple pawn and not the guy who almost singlehandedly saved all of Hope County.

She'd have a big issue to deal with now if groups of people like the ones she just finished arguing with were in the majority then that would only mean that search parties would become more frequent and spread out to the other regions.

* * *

Jess was left in a bad mood after her little chat with the so-called hunters. Instead of moping around inside the jailhouse she left to the outside. She waited impatiently for about another hour till Tracey eventually arrived. She was with two other soldiers and riding a pickup filled with its cargo bed filled to the brim with supplies. Must've been to one of the last peggie outposts left in the area that hadn't been liberated. They would have been months ago had Nathan still been around.

Once they finished unloading everything Jess made her way over to Tracey. Mentally preparing herself for her bullshit, and a potential fistfight,

"Well look who it is, Jess Black, I heard you were looking for me..." How could something as simple as a voice get to her nerves Jess had no idea, but somehow Tracey managed to do so and greatly.

"Yeah, I need to talk to you, it's about Faith..."

Jess knew she'd get a response from the people around them and that she did get. That in the form of a few odd stares from the other Cougars and a glare Tracey who was quick to subtly nod her head over to the jailhouse. As she walked past her, Jess heard her speak up again, this time quietly.

"We'll talk inside..." And with that, she left.

Jess turned to look at the Cougars who were still staring at her, wondering what exactly she wanted to know and why. As much fun as it was seeing Tracey's sudden change in attitude she didn't want to stick around to see how these people would react. They'd probably begin prodding around and now wasn't the time to start an argument with these people. Jess just needed information and she'd leave.

* * *

Adelaide knew she wouldn't be getting any answers out of either the deputy or Faith that day, no matter how much she wanted to. The deputy looked like he was about to collapse from exhaustion and any time he spoke it was briefly and slurred. Faith, on the other hand, hadn't even spoken a single word except to ask the deputy if he was alright, but that was it. Her eyes were too focused on him to even notice that Adelaide had been staring at her.

So what was Adelaide to do? What could she doe except let the deputy rest for a while, let him get his bearings and to hopefully clean himself up. Rook didn't exactly smell all that fresh...

"Took your sweet ass time to get here Rook, how come?" She offered him a bottle of water which he took and handed to Faith who awkwardly stared at it. He looked up at Adelaide and sighed, not out of annoyance but rather fatigue.

"Well, as I said over the radio. There was a damn wolf in the road and I had to scare it off, plus we'd been traveling for hours already and I figured it'd be best if we rested before arriving..."

Contrary to what people might be lead to believe after all her public arguments with Hurk Sr., Adelaide wasn't some old, bitter bitch with nothing better to do. She could see the exhausted state that the deputy, and Faith to that extent, was in. Asking him anything now wasn't going to get her anywhere...

"I'm not gonna bother trying to ask you anything right now, you look like you're about to topple over." Flicking away the cigarette she had been dancing around in her fingers, Adelaide cleared her throat and continued. "So, I'll tell you what's gonna happen, go rest for a day or two Deputy and then we'll talk."

Nathan nodded and leaned back on the doorway, closing his eyes tightly. She practically could see the relief wash over him.

Adelaide finally turned to Faith, their eyes met and she could see the fear in the younger woman's gaze. She was afraid of her, afraid of the people outside who wanted nothing more than to put one between her eyes, afraid of the Henbane River in its entirety. It could all be a simple trick, another one of her seemingly endless manipulation games that had cost the people of Hope County dearly. The ones that could've cost Adelaide her son and nephew, but thankfully they didn't.

That didn't mean she trusted her not to fuck it up, a close eye had to be kept on Faith in order to avoid another incident like the one Adelaide had heard about that happened in the jailhouse. The death of Mayor Minkler was still an open wound for the Cougars, regardless of who pulled the trigger that day.

"And uh... Take her with you, can't have her wandering around with everyone else here." For the sake of the deputy, Adelaide would allow Faith to stay for a while until she, along with Nathan, explained everything that went down.

"Go where exactly? I don't see any place to rest unless you're talking about the boxes there." Nathan asked, unsure of where to go or what she could be talking about.

"Honey I'm talking about the damn shack across from here, there are some cots in there we keep just in case." Pointing a finger at the small red building across the dirt path that lead to the dock, she could see the people staring from the outside at the group. Nathan seemed to have noticed them too as he groaned quietly before turning back to Adelaide.

Faith, on the other hand, had her eyes far too focused on the deputy to even notice Adelaide's finger or the dozen or so glares directed at her.

Hey, at least they weren't rifles, that's all Adelaide could say.

"Oh, alright... Thanks, Adelaide, I mean it..." The genuine gratitude in his voice was in conflict with the rest of him. His rifle was still very much resting between his arms and the safety was still very much off, as a sort of display to the people outside that he was in fact, ready to defend himself and Faith.

"Don't thank me yet sugar, and don't worry about the people out there, they ain't gonna harm you... I think. All they want is an explanation I told them they're gettin' one."

That seemed to convince him and he looked slightly more at ease with his rifle not practically on his shoulder. That safety was still off though.

"Yeah, I know..."

"But now's really not the time for that, not yet at least... So go on and get some rest and clean yourself up, I could smell you from miles away..." She made a face of disgust to emphasize her point and urged him to the small office turned resting area.

Nathan grinned and nodded, the prospect of a shower seemingly gave him a burst of energy. With a final glance at the group of people starting Faith down, Nathan nodded his head back at Adelaide. "Sure."

He turned to Faith and cocked his head outside, to the direction of the small room. "C'mon Faith."

They walked away, leaving Adelaide with a feeling of uncertainty. It wasn't that she didn't trust the deputy, it was Faith Seed who was the bigger threat. If she was planning anything, they would be completely unaware and that was what worried her.

Adelaide had to do her part to keep the angrier folks at bay, she knew that if the deputy or Faith interacted with them, it would endly terribly. So that rest has to be brief, maybe a day or two at most. Until they explained themselves, there could be no real break.

With the inevitable stress, Adelaide knew she'd really miss that cigarette...

* * *

With Nathan being so close to her, Faith thought she would've felt at least somewhat safe but she didn't. Not while they stared her down from yards away, those glares of pure hatred were reserved all for her, not Nathan. How did she know? She made the mistake of glancing in the direction of where the people were standing and her eyes met with several hate-filled ones, among a majority of confused looks.

It wasn't just hatred, they were waiting for something, daring her. What exactly? They were daring her to do something, daring her to prove them right and Nathan wrong. Faith knew they wanted nothing more than to see her dead and would more than likely be willing to go through Nathan to see it through, but as of now, they kept their distance.

Probably out of disgust...

"Stay close..."

His voice was calm, with a hint of nervousness. Playing it cool for her, Faith could appreciate the sentiment but it wasn't doing much. The perk of being able to read people well was that now she had a hard time believing Nathan's promise that everything would be alright. Not because he had done anything to say otherwise

He hadn't even bothered to look in any direction but their destination, but with the way he held his rifle so close to him, Faith knew he was aware of the people looking on. Another thing that she noticed was that he had let go of her hand almost immediately as they stepped outside.

Did he do it to avoid further angering the people? Faith hated to think so but it was probably true. Despite that, she couldn't fault him for being as cautious as he was being now.

Nathan was called over once as they were walking silently to the small red shack across the main office. Thankfully it wasn't one of the more hostile looking people.

"Hey, Deputy!?" Someone called to their left. Both turned to see a young woman eagerly waving Nathan over. A little too eagerly in Faith's opinion. What did she want? Couldn't she see that Nathan was in no mood to be interrogated?

"Stay right here, I'll be right back. I'm just gonna see what she wants." Nathan urged her to stay in place while he walked over to the woman.

"Hey deputy, long time no see huh?" The girl greeted Nathan who stood there for a while looking unsure as to just who she was. It took a bit more information from the girl for Nathan to remember her.

"Oh, yeah I remember you! From Dutch's Island right?"

"Yeah, you rescued me all those months back, when ya' first got here!"

From what Faith overhead, they knew each other all the way back when Nathan first left the small island in the middle of the county. Her name was Lucy, she was redheaded and tall with a pullover that fit her a size or two too big. Not the best fashion choice but whatever. He was seemingly friendly with her while they talked but they never once brought Faith up thankfully.

"Anyways, how have you been? I know that with everything that's happened life hasn't been very kind huh?"

_Lady, you have no idea... _How could she? it wasn't her life that had been ruined because people didn't want to listen to Nathan. Faith couldn't believe she was actually jealous If the woman who had done nothing but engage in friendly conversation with Nathan but it was the truth and there was no use in hiding it.

So what? Faith wasn't perfect, no one was! _Certainly not her... _They talked for a while longer, all the while Faith stood awkwardly a few feet away invisible to both.

"That's uh... That's an understatement. Yeah, things haven't been smooth at all." Faith couldn't help but notice the vagueness of Nathan's answers. Another thing she noticed was how the conversation between them flowed so easily because it was simply two old friends talking. Not a castaway trying to reconcile with his old allies.

They talked for a while longer about certain menial things Faith had no interest in listening to. She saw that the other people had resumed their usual day as if she wasn't there.

"Anyways, it was nice seeing you again deputy, don't be a stranger alright?"

"Not planning on it, I'll see you around Lucy." Nathan returned to her after saying his goodbyes with... was that a wink?

When he made his way back to her she saw him raise an eyebrow in confusion. Suddenly Faith realized she was still angrily looking in his direction, and she shyly dropped her gaze down out of embarrassment.

"Well that went better than expected, c'mon let's get to the room or whatever the hell it is..." If he noticed her staring in jealousy, Nathan didn't bring any of it up.

* * *

The small office was nothing impressive, just a room with a moderately sized sleeping cot and fishing supplies scattered throughout the rest of the room. There was a door at the far end that hopefully lead to some sort of bathroom and a small fridge that Nathan wasn't keen on wanting to open, there could be dead rotting fish in there for all he knew.

There a small table and on top was a radio still on, quietly playing music. Something about heroes and villains, it sounded extremely familiar but in the tired state he was, he couldn't quite place it. Whatever it was, there was something about the harmonies that was making his head feel odd.

All in all, it wasn't the most ideal of resting places.

We just have to make the best of it... And that he would do because Nathan had no interest in trying to be picky about anything. What he wanted to do more than anything else was to sleep for a while, maybe a day or four.

Slinging off his backpack he tossed it to the floor and began unclasping the straps on his bulletproof vest. It had lasted a surprisingly long time, maybe because any action had been virtually non-existent and when there had been any, bullets seemed to hit literally any other part of his body, except the place it was meant to protect.

He groaned loudly as it fell off and landed with a soft thud on top of his supplies. Finally, he felt like he could breathe and breathe he did, after he popped his back. Suddenly he felt a pair of arms run down his neck and to his shoulders, making him shiver at the contact. Her fingers unexpectedly pressed down on his shoulders, and Nathan had to resist the urge to flinch away.

Euphoric was the only way he could describe the way he felt when she was near. Perfect in every sense of the word, and apparently wanted only him. Lucky, lucky him. Now if only the rest of his life weren't such shit.

"Nathan?"

God, that voice... Never would he grow tired of hearing her, it'd be impossible. There were times, like very recently, when Nathan's life felt completely over. Over in the sense that he had nothing left, no real purpose or a sense of belonging anywhere and he, in a way, was alone.

Almost every time he felt that way, along came Faith to prove him wrong. Whereas he would sometimes awkwardly stumble through his words of affection to her, Faith's came like they were second nature and they were all for him.

"Yeah?" He eventually answered back after a few seconds of peaceful silence. Nathan hadn't yet forgotten about everything else, no. He was aware of what would be happening in a few days, aware and scared...

"I love you" Just like that, her words found a way to ease his troubled mind. How she did it Nathan had no idea, and he didn't care to figure out. All he knew was that she genuinely meant those words.

"I love you too" And so did he.

Nathan went in for a deep kiss to which she gave. Only for a few seconds before she promptly pushed him away from her with a face of slight disgust.

"Ugh, you stink!"

Nathan raised an eyebrow, did he? He double-checked but couldn't smell anything particularly wrong with him. Was his nose clogged up? No, he'd know if it was.

"Do I? Huh, maybe Adelaide wasn't joking..."

Faith nodded her head, looking her lover over with a critical eye. Covered in dirt and blood, with a layer of sweat, she was in the same state much to her horror. "She certainly wasn't, blood and sweat aren't the best aromas for you."

"Oh c'mon, it ain't like you're so fresh yourself Faith." If they stunk, Nathan honestly didn't notice it. He was certain they did if their haggard appearances were any indication, but smell anything off, he couldn't. "But you're right, I need a fucking shower."

Except that the stiff cot looked absolutely appealing, urging Nathan to lay down on it and not wake up for a long time. A shower could wait, right?

"I know you're tired, need any help?" Faith offered, hoping he would say yes. Nathan scoffed and shook his head much to her disappointment.

"Help? With showering? Nah, I'm fine, it ain't like I'm gonna fall asleep or something, I think?" He stumbled through the room.

"Alright, let's go." She took his hand and lead him to the door into the bathroom. They were about to enter but suddenly Nathan stopped her and lifted her chin up so her face could meet his.

"You think if I work my charms on the women here I can persuade the rest not to kill us?" Nathan asked in a serious tone, his attention now focused entirely on the wristwatch clasp that he couldn't seem to undo."I honestly think so."

"Charms? What charms?" Faith played along, she couldn't help but think how cute he was when he was tired. The fatigue seemed to take over his mind, leaving him to ramble on about God knows what.

"Well, I certainly have something seeing as how you were acting when that girl was talking to me outside." Nathan's smug grin only grew as Faith began turning red, _how did he see?_

"Yeah, I noticed how you were staring at her, and me! Man, you didn't look happy at all..." Nathan laughed, Faith made her displeasure of him talking to Lucy extremely obvious.

"What?" Faith blushed brightly, but could she have made it any more obvious of what she was implying? Good.

"Well, I'll be Faith Seed?" Nathan teased her, pressing his index finger on her cheeks which were becoming increasingly red. "You were jealous."

"Yeah, and so what?"

"_And so what?_ Well, nothing except that I'm flattered!" Nathan stopped laughing and stared at her, she seemed genuinely upset. "Oh, come on, you don't think I like her do you?"

"You were being so friendly with her, it was obvious that she was fawning over you, and you were more than happy to play along."

"Exactly, I was playing along, I have no interest in her whatsoever. I mean I guess Resistance folks really ain't my type?" It wasn't that but Nathan felt he had to be friendly with everyone in order to make himself look at least somewhat decent.

"Liar, and why were you being so friendly?" She jokingly pressed on, sure she was jealous back then but not anymore.

"This really isn't a conversation we should be having in the shower."

"We're not in the shower yet Nate..." Her deadpan response was met with a laugh from him,

"Exactly so when we get there we should stop talking about it! Now back to my original question..."

"Isn't there a bigger danger to sleeping with that many people?" Faith asked, hoping to get him to finally drop it. Nathan stared at her for a minute, unsure of how to respond. His train of thought was muddled by his head, which was killing him, and Ace Cannon blasting through the radio certainly wasn't helping at all. Why on God's green Earth was there such an abundance of country music? He got tired of hearing the Loveless Motel the first time it played.

"Yeah, you're right I prefer not to get some disease... No thank you."

"Let's just go..." She laughed and lightly shoved him through the doorway and into the bathroom, a room certainly cleaner and far more organized than the main one.

While they were in there, Nathan did his best to try and clean himself up, well rather Faith did. She also had to help him rid himself of his less than pristine clothing. He was way too tired that he even struggled to try to turn on the shower and resorted to just standing there like an idiot while the cold water hit his face. He laughed quietly when he heard Faith sigh in defeat and then promptly pushed him away while she cleaned herself.

He did end up scrubbing the grime off of his hair, but he let Faith do the rest, ignoring how close her body was to his and how uncomfortably strained he had to keep his lower area. Even in his tired state, Nathan knew he would like nothing more than to press her up against the wall and-

"I think we're done."

What? Nathan didn't want it to be over, not just yet. All good things must come to an end... An exaggerated thought but what could he do? He was tired.

Faith shut off the water and stepped out of the shower, reaching for the surprisingly clean towel hanging from the shower curtain. Quickly drying herself she looked over at Nathan who was still inside the shower, simply standing idly with a look of exhaustion. If she didn't do anything she was sure he'd fall asleep in there.

"Nathan?" She called to him, worried he had already slipped into the realm of unconsciousness. Then what? They'd have to sleep in there! Yes, they.

With only a side glance to indicate he was still, in fact, conscious, Nathan remained where he was at, clenching his eyes tightly shut before reopening them quickly in an attempt to keep himself awake. It didn't seem to be working.

"I'll be uh... I'll be right there just give me a moment..." His voice sounded extremely tired, he wasn't planning on stepping out.

After walking him over to her and unsuccessfully trying to get themselves dressed, Faith gave up and together they made their way over to the cot. It looked big enough for the both of them to sleep in comfortably, so that, and the fact that she wanted to cuddle with him threw Nathan's offer of sleeping on the floor out the window.

Nathan landed face first in the cot, not bothering to even straighten himself out seeing as how nearly half of his body was hanging on the edge of it. Faith had to once again lift him up and had the intention of laying him next to her but gave up and left him nestled comfortably on top of her. His instance on using those specific parts of her body as pillows was something she'd never understand, but she didn't mind in the slightest. Faith understood just how exhausted he felt, all she hoped was that he didn't drool.

He didn't thankfully, but his snoring wasn't exactly any better.

* * *

The talk with Adelaide and the people in the marina could wait a few days. What Nathan wanted to do for now was to rest awhile, to finally be able to close his eyes comfortably without the paranoid fear of dying.

Nathan would like to say that he slept extremely comfortably, like a baby. He didn't and Faith's certain assets certainly weren't the issue. It was his paranoid self not allowing him to be at peace for more than ten minutes. How he wished he could rid himself of it.

Except that paranoia would never go away, Nathan came to terms with that ever since the incessant nightmares began. It mattered little how comfortable he ever felt, Nathan would never have the peace of mind he desperately longed for. That just wasn't for him. Nathan could pretend he had it, but why bother? Why lie and pretend he was alright when almost every time he woke up, he was immediately reaching for his pistol ready to defend himself from absolutely nothing.

Well then, if true peace wasn't for him then all Nathan could hope for was that slumber would fail to bring "dreams", or at least if it did, then not the ones about death. The ones that had become so common daily and nightly

* * *

**It's been quite the minute, hasn't it? ****This was supposed to go up a week from now, but I had enough time to finish it before. It was a pain trying to get this one done and to the standard I wanted. It could be a hit or miss I'm not sure.**

**I'm not sure when the next one is coming.**


	27. Ignorance

Jess wasn't much of a talker, conversations weren't really her thing. It was rare that she held a conversation with a person lasting more than a couple of words, it just couldn't happen. The last person she had talked to for a considerable amount of time without wanting to punch his lights out was Nathan, and that was about what he had planned to do after the war with Eden's Gate was over. She received no real response aside from an "I'm not sure, nothing probably…" An odd answer for someone with an actual life outside of the county, but she understood he had no time to think ahead in the middle of a war. It was a war that should have been over days after their conversation, but life loves to play one cruel twist after another…

That conversation had been hours before he decided to spare Faith, hours before everything began to fall apart for him. Any conversations Jess, or anyone else for that matter, had with him after that point were heated arguments about the flower whore and her well-deserved death. It seemed that they couldn't get along anymore.

_And after all the progress we had done…_

Now Jess was about to have a conversation with someone she had already didn't get along with and had no problem not doing so. Jess's disdain towards Tracey started when she arrived at the Henbane a while after Nathan had, under his request of course. Jess would like to think it was their friendship that urged him to ask for her help once more, and it was partially. There had to be something else, but Nathan never mentioned it. Almost immediately upon reaching the jailhouse, Tracey was all up in her personal space demanding her to do her part or get the fuck out. It was a shame she didn't have the pleasure of knocking Tracey on her ass because Nathan intervened and they soon departed to the Jessop Conservatory to stop god knows what, Jess was far too angry that day to try and remember.

On the way, Nathan gave her the rundown of what had been happening in the Henbane, and also how of far he had been making progress with dismantling Faith's little drug stint. With his help, the Cougars had managed to bring down a sizeable amount of Faith's forces and had also reclaimed several outposts. He also told her that Tracey also told him to do his part when he first arrived. That only further angered Jess mostly because of Tracey's apparent willful ignorance of events going around her. How could she not know that it had been Nathan who had liberated the Holland Valley and Whitetail Mountains with little help? Was she really that fucking dumb?

It took her a while for her to even give the slightest amount of praise to Nathan, most of it didn't even sound genuine. When Nathan spared Faith, Tracey had been up in arms demanding him to kill the flower whore to no avail. Then the Cougars followed in suit because apparently, they trusted her more than the man who had saved every single one of them…

_So did I apparently..._

Regardless, this wasn't about Jess or Tracey, or even Nathan for that matter (not yet at least). No, this was about Faith. Jess wanted to know more about the hippie bitch and who better to ask than the person who was once her only friend?

Tracey led her to the cells on the second floor of the jailhouse which, because of their dinginess and faulty lighting, were the least used ones. Why no one had bothered to at least tidy them up to house the influx of new recruits was anyone's guess. Then again no one really called the jailhouse a suitable place to sleep, much less was it any semblance of a home for anyone. It was probably a moderately suitable place to rest for a while, a definitely better alternative to sleeping out in the woods. Not even Nathan who spent the majority of his time each day in there slept in much. He usually slept in whatever car or truck he had been driving.

The pair received a few odd stares from the others who were milling about in the main area, most had never seen either of them walking together without an argument going on between them. They walked closer to the cell that Nathan began to spend hours each day in but it wasn't his cell, his was on the first floor with the rest of them, this one was Faith's. The only similarities between either being that both had been vacant for a long while.

And that's where they stopped. Stepping in was something neither had done in months. Before it was because Nathan stood guarding it like the knight in shining armor he was and after well because there was no real need to do so with both absent.

Much like the rest of the second floor of the jailhouse, the cell was vacant with the only evidence of anyone ever being in there being the empty food wrappers and crumpled up water bottles stuffed under the bed. Tracey turned around to face Jess, the look of annoyance she wore meant their conversation would yield anything but the quickness Jess hoped.

"Bold of you to assume I know much about the Bliss girl, Jess. What made you think I do?" Tracey feigned innocence at Jess's inquiries as an attempt to get under her skin, a sort of payback for the forwardness she displayed in front of the other Cougars.

Jess sighed, she was in no mood to play games. She was quite literally on a clock that was ticking down little by little. The more she stayed around with her thumb up her ass, the closer Nathan and Faith were to leaving Hope County.

_So I'll bite my tongue for now…_

"Don't act dumb Tracey, I already know about your past with Faith. Not to the full extent of course, but then again neither did Nathan…" Jess retorted, raising an eyebrow at the way Tracey's face fell at the mention of the deputy. It had been Nathan who told Jess how close Faith and Tracey had been in their younger years.

That conversation had been one of the few she had with him after he saved Faith that didn't end in an argument, which in itself was kind of depressing actually…

"So c'mon spill, I'm gonna need to know everything I can if I'm gonna find them…"

"You're still on that? I figured you'd have given up…"

"Sorry to disappoint" Jess responded, shrugging her shoulders. If Tracey's laugh was genuine then the blank stare she wore certainly didn't say so. _Whatever, I'm not here to fucking make her laugh…_

"Oh c'mon Jess, it's been months since they ran away, I get the rookie is supposed to be invincible or some shit like that but you don't expect him to have lasted that long?"

Jess decided not to tell her that they had been spotted in the Holland Valley area, Tracey didn't need to know that. Ever. The last thing anyone needed was the more vindictive people raising hell in the valley looking for them, and if they did end up finding them then…

No, they wouldn't, and Jess would make sure that never happened.

"You and I both know how capable he is. Ridding Hope County of the two Seed brothers should be telling enough…"

Tracey let out a loud, drawn-out sigh and nodded.

"She probably has him under the influence of the Bliss, only reason I see for him acting as he did. Seduce him? Don't think so, she's not really known for giving the best handies or any at all. Fucking prude she was..." She snorted, Jess would've laughed had the joke been said by anyone else, preferably someone she tolerated.

"How the fuck would she? She didn't have anything during her time here." Even she was beginning to doubt the Bliss theory, it just didn't make sense. "And why use it after their fight and not during?"

"Might've dosed him when he fought her and then convinced him to spare her. I don't fucking know!"

Even that didn't really add up, "Faith wouldn't have let him destroy her gate, or whatever she fucking called that silo, had she really been scheming something since their confrontation."

"I think it's time you, Whitehorse and the other deputies face it, Jess, he knowingly fucked himself over when he spared her. He had it coming..."

"Think I don't fucking know that? Anyways that's not what I'm here for." Jess knew if they kept at it she'd have to end up kicking her ass, then she'd lose her chance at knowing more about Faith.

"Yeah, you already told me why you bask me with your presence today."

"Well, then we should stop wasting time..."

"Why the hell are you so worried about her? When you see her just shove an arrow through her fucking skull, it's not that hard Jess!" Tracey jerked her head over to Jess's bow and arrows that were strapped to her back.

"It's not gonna be that simple, not anymore."

Tracey caught on to who Jess was referring too, of course, Nathan wasn't going to make it easy.

"Then it should be the deputy who you should be worried about, not Faith and plus-" Her words were cut off as both heard someone fast approaching the cell they were in. Suddenly a woman carrying a rifle peered her head in the room. She looked greatly shaken and was wheezing heavily with a long gash running down her left cheek, dripping down to the dirty floors, covering them with blood.

"There are some fuckin' bears outside, fuckers won't go down!" As if on cue, shots began to be heard from the outside as well as shouting from the Cougars.

Tracey ran to the girl's side and quickly inspected her wound. "What do you mean they won't go down!?"

"They must be filled with Bliss or some shit, Alan got one of the fuckers square in the fucking face with a 44! It fucking shrugged it off like it was nothing!"

"That bitch really left her mark..." Tracey muttered to herself, she picked up that rifle Jess knew she had seen before and turned back to her. "Look, well talk about this shit later, right now we gotta go fuckin' deal with the shitstorm outside!" And with that Tracey ran outside with a strangely familiar rifle in tow. Jess stood silent for a few seconds before a voice brought her back to reality.

"You should go, Jess, I don't think they'll be able to do it alone." The girl advised, she had torn a piece of her long sleeve shirt and used it to apply pressure to her wound. Jess knew that gash would leave a scar and a nasty one at that.

"Right..." She unslung her bow from her shoulder and carried it in her arms. It had been a while since it had seen any action. While she would've preferred peggies, cleaning up their mess wasn't as bad as it sounded.

"Wait!"

Jess turned around to face the young woman, expecting her to ask for her help regarding the wound. "What is it?"

"I know you're still looking for the deputy, everyone does. And well... not everyone wants him dead." She turned her attention back to her injury, wincing as she applied pressure once more to prevent any blood loss.

"Sure."

Jogging after Tracey, Jess began to think about the woman's words. She already knew that not everyone was out for Nathan's blood, but even if a small minority didn't want him dead the majority did. The poster offering him a place back in the resistance didn't look like it was an offer by the more reasonable people but rather those who were desperate to get at Faith.

It was then that Jess noticed that this really wasn't about Nathan to them anymore, this was only about Faith. All he was, to them, was an acceptable loss and a seemingly necessary one if they were to rid Hope County of the Seed family. Nathan was simply an obstacle, one she knew was resilient and would take an indefinite amount of time to wear down.

_But once they did... _Then they'd get to Faith much easier.

So maybe Jess didn't have to worry about trying to get to Faith, she could leave that up to the Cougars. All she would have to do would be to separate Nathan from the flower whore and leave the rest up to them. All that mattered was that Nathan stop being a target.

Which was also why she needed to know more about Faith, to find something to use against her and have Nathan separate from her willingly. Hopefully, Tracey would prove herself useful for once and not the waste of time and space she looked to be.

* * *

It had been close to two hours since the deputy and Faith arrived at Adelaide's marina and if she was completely honest, she didn't think it would go as smooth as it had gone. She figured at least one person would be shoving their gun in their faces, demanding they explain themselves or demanding that the deputy kill Faith.

Not that she was in any way complaining, she was thankful shit didn't come close to hitting the fan. Now she had to see how long it would take for it to actually do so, if she had to guess it would as soon as they stepped out that door again. She only hoped that whatever explanation it was they had would sit well with the people, for their sake.

The slight summer breeze was a real pleasure of the impending night time just a few hours away. Xander was with her, inquiring about the deputy and Faith. It was a subject he didn't know much of, probably because he didn't really care.

"So, how long's the dep gonna be around?" A question not even she was sure about, sure he had asked for a place to stay but for how long? Was he planning to wait out the ire of the resistance? Because if so, then she'd probably have to start charging for rent cause it would be a while.

"Not sure honey, I didn't ask him. He told me was that he needed a place to wait out, didn't say till when." He also said he needed her help, for now, all the help she could really provide was a place to sleep and maybe food.

"The dude looked like he was about to collapse when he got here, wonder how long he'd been without sleep." That she also wondered about. When the rookie and Faith arrived they both looked terrible, the deputy more so.

"Not sure, I gave him a day or two to rest, him and Faith." Adelaide felt she was being generous with her offer but apparently her significant other felt otherwise.

"You really think he's gonna wake up in what, two to three days? Gotta give him time to rest, get his bearings."

"That's exactly what I'm doin', I'm not gonna let them there a month... don't think everyone else would be as patient..."

"I'm not saying a month, but maybe a week at least? It's clear he ain't in the greatest state physically, well... kinda jealous of how built he is actually, but he's probably sick as shit. Give him an apple he'll probably puke it all over your face." An odd example, but Adelaide got the point.

"I'll think about it sugar, I'm not sure..." Adelaide would rather get the explanations over and done with as soon as possible to avoid pissing off those who were waiting.

"Hey, in the end, it's up to you, I'm sure what's-his-name will appreciate it."

Adelaide's radio began to go off, and almost immediately she let out a groan. With almost 100 percent certainty she knew who exactly it was that was calling. "It's probably Hurk..."

"I have a feeling he doesn't like me very much..." Xander lamented, trying to get along with the older man proved hard. He once tried completing Hurk's tattoos and received tease for not having his entire arms covered as he did.

"Yeah, he _doesn't_... Give me a minute sweetheart." She turned her attention to her radio. "This is Adelaide at the marina, who's callin'?"

_"Hello, Adelaide?" _It was Grace, that was... honestly unexpected. Adelaide had expected Hurk's voice to come blaring through asking for money to buy whatever stupid thing he could think of. _I__ should really cut him off, or at least tell him to ask his dad more..._

"Grace? Haven't heard from you in a minute, figured you were busy with the whole... I dunno but I figured you were busy. Anyway, what's up?"

_"I... I need to talk to you about something important."_

"Oh, and what about?" It was obvious she was going to ask about the deputy and Faith, but Adelaide decided she'd play it safe. She was almost certain Grace had no idea where they were, _almost..._

_"It's about Nath- The deputy, I know he contacted you recently."_ Her straightforwardness wasn't surprising, that woman was as stoic as stoic could be. So feigning ignorance wasn't going to work at all.

"He did."

_"Right, then if you don't mind be asking, about what? I didn't think he had contacted anyone while on the run." _

Adelaide should have known those two idiots would find a way to fuck it all up, neither came from the smartest fatherly genes sadly. Then again, if Grace did get her information from Hurk and Sharky then she'd be as out of the loop as they both currently were. Neither knew that the deputy had already left the Holland Valley and was now in the Henbane, at most they probably suspected it but that was it.

"The guy was so damn paranoid he didn't even tell me where the hell he even was, all he told me was that he and Faith were in Holland." Adelaide wasn't sure she sounded convincing enough so to cover it up she quickly added: "People were really fuckin' quick to turn on the rookie, yourself included Ms. Armstrong..."

_"What do you mean?"_

"We both know what I mean. He helps you like he's helped everyone then all of a sudden he fucks up and everyone, including you, is out for his head..." She responded, a little more heatedly. "Not exactly the reception a 'hero' would get, but then again, people don't see him as a hero no more..."

_"I wasn't in the group that wanted him dead, you're sorely mistaken on that..."_

"That so? Then on what group were you, Grace? The one that saw him useful only when it benefited you but immediately threw him under the bus?" Adelaide never would've thought she'd be standing up for the deputy of all people but at the end of the day, they were still friends. The deputy did a lot for her, more than she could ever be able to repay.

_"I know I was wrong to act the way I did, but now's not the time to talk about that. Look, Nick and I are trying to calm everyone down here at the Valley."_

"That so? What about Jerome? Ain't he around to help or something, I know he, unlike yourself, was one of the more outspoken folks when it came to the deputy and Faith." Adelaide wasn't entirely convinced that Grace had really had a change of heart, but for the moment she'd let it go.

If Grace heard her remark, she didn't react._"He told us he'd be leaving for the Henbane not long ago if I had to guess he's already there._ _We're all trying to do right by the deputy Adelaide..."_

Interesting, but Adelaide really didn't know why he'd be in the river of all places unless it was to try and calm everyone down here, albeit unsuccessfully. That still left one person unaccounted for, one Adelaide knew had spent more time with the deputy than anyone else.

"Actions speak louder than words Ms. Armstrong. Anyways, what about Jess? Y'know, Dutch's niece, what's she up to?" The deputy had referred to Jess as his closest friend several times, so she was curious as to what her stance was.

_"Jess also left to the Henbane to look for Tracey, one of the people in the Jailhouse. For what? I have no idea she wouldn't tell_." Helpful tidbit of information, certainly a clear starting point.

"Alright, well I've gotta go, gotta go refuel my chopper." Adelaide knew what she had to do now, off she was to find Jess.

_"I understand, and if Nathan contacts you again, please let me know Adelaide, it's vital that you do."_

"Sure, Adelaide out..." She clicked off the channel and turned back to Xander. He raised an eyebrow at her defensive attitude towards the deputy.

"Interesting talk huh? Well, I'm gonna go see what's the people's thing with the deputy." She didn't understand what his curiosity was but whatever, as long as he understood what was going on.

"Alright honey, I'm going to take a trip somewhere. I'll be back in a while."

* * *

Adelaide had made little progress looking for Jess and to make things worse her fuel was running low. So she had to make a quick stop at Lorna's for a refuel. One of the perks of having the deputy around at the time when the Henbane was still in the cult's grasp was that he made sure every gas station was stocked with any and every kind of fuel. Apparently after a while of being constantly asked he grew fed up and brought back several fuel trucks.

She couldn't help but stare at the massive aluminum bull, the previous owners had talked about getting rid of it. Something about the bird shit caked all over it upsetting customers. Adelaide once heard the deputy call it cute, personally, she was fine with it. It was as much as "important landmark" as Hope County was going to get, minus the destroyed statue of Joseph.

"Hey, Addie!" She heard someone call her name, so she looked around to find the source. Adelaide found it in the form of Lorna's current owner, Mrs. Daniels. She wasn't really the owner, the store belonged to her now-deceased cultist cousin. She held no grudge towards the deputy who apparently got him with a 12 gauge to the face.

"Hey Susan, how's it going?"

"Well, I'm still alive so I can't complain. How's it going with you?"

"I'm fine, just came to refuel my Tulip. Hope ya' still got some fuel."

"We sure as shit do! Ever since we pissed off the deputy by asking him all the damn time, fuel running out hasn't been an issue." Adelaide had been the lending ear to Nathan's complaining. When they were traveling he'd tell her about how "Mrs. Daniels' is asking about fuel again, that's the third time this week..." and as soon as they were done fighting some peggie soldiers at whatever outpost he'd take any available fuel trucks back to the gas stations, all with that sour expression on his face.

"Speaking of which, I'm correct to assume y'know what happened with the dep right?" She asked Adelaide, who knew more than her but Ms. Daniels didn't need to know that.

"Yeah I was told, he let Faith Seed live. The dumbest fucking move he ever did, 'sides hanging around Hurk." She wasn't lying about either thing, and her comparison felt true. Adelaide didn't even have to try hard to cover up anything, no one here knew anything.

"Wonder where they are now, probably hiding somewhere. Prepped bunkers maybe?" Susan asked an uninterested Adelaide

"Maybe..." How grateful was Adelaide for the unaware? Very.

"Anyways, we're waiting on some Cougars from the jailhouse. Apparently, some Blissed out critters attacked the damn place and left some injured."

That caught her attention, last time she heard the jailhouse was damn near impenetrable. Of course that was when they had Nathan around but still, if peggies could barely dent it she was surprised animals could.

"That so? You got supplies for them or something?"

"Yep, some medical supplies for the injured and some weapons and ammo to resupply everything they wasted." She pointed at the crates piled on top of each other near the entrance to the gas station.

Suddenly two vans stopped near the gas pumps and out came a group of Cougars. They were all in various states of injured with some having minor scrapes and bruises to others having entire limbs covered in gauzes.

"Speaking of which..."

They turned to see Tracey walking towards them, out of all of the Cougars she looked the least worse. She had a bandage wrapped around her arm but that was about it.

"Hey Adelaide, Ms. Daniels" She greeted the older women. Adelaide nodded her head in a friendly manner to her.

"Howdy Tracey, man those little shits really did a number on you guys huh? I'll have some people help you load up the meds to take to the injured." Ms. Daniels signaled a couple of workers and they were quick to fill up the back of the vans with the supplies. Everything from medical to ammunition was provided, as well as some crates of food.

"Thank you, for as bad as we look some people back there fared a lot worse." Tracey was referring to those that had lost limbs due to the vicious bears who would not go down no matter how many times they were shot at. Only a grenade stopped them, and by then the damage had been done.

"Can't even imagine, damn Bliss I was hoping we'd have gotten rid of it by now!"

"Faith left a lasting scar on the wildlife of the Henbane, I only hope it isn't permanent," Tracey spoke with such vitriol that it was almost surprising. "We did have a little bit of outside help, the other deputies were around and also Jess."

"Jess was there, I always figured that girl stuck to the Whitetail's," Adelaide spoke up, suddenly her interest in their conversation grew.

"Apparently not, don't know what she wants but at least she helped. I also saw Jerome on my way to the jail earlier, we talked about some things for a while." They had met near the bridge leading to the Henbane a couple of hours prior. "Can't believe he brought up actually trying to forgive that bitch for all she did, and the deputy for tagging along."

The way Tracey spoke made Adelaide feel slightly angry, but she understood that Tracey was part of the group of people that wanted both the deputy and Faith dead no matter what.

"Where is he now?" She asked.

Tracey shrugged her shoulders, unsure of where he could actually be at that point in time. "Probably at the jailhouse helping with the injured." Once she was given the all-clear by the other Cougars with her she turned back to the two women.

"Anyways I'll see you around. Thanks, Ms. Daniels for the supplies, the Cougars appreciate it."

"No problem honey, safe travels."

Giving both women one final nod she climbed with the rest of the Resistance soldiers and soon they sped off toward the jailhouse.

Adelaide knew she'd have to speak to Jess soon if only to hear her thoughts on the entire situation. That would be an interesting conversation, one she'd probably relay back to Nathan along with the one she had with Grace.

* * *

Grace was unsure of what to do with her newfound information. Who was she to report to? Jerome? She would if he wasn't so far away. Jess? She'd rather not see her possibly turn hostile towards Hurk and Sharky, more so than she already was.

She'd have to tell Nick about it, the only other person that could be trusted with the information. It was vital that she do so quickly because if not, then Adelaide could have a definite answer for the deputy and off he'd go with Faith to the Henbane. Part of her told her that Nathan wasn't really desperate enough to go back there but she couldn't be sure. So off she was to the Rye residence, maybe she could tell Mary May too? She had proven herself mostly neutral to the entire situation so that was a plus.

It was still unclear on whose side Adelaide was truly on. Certainly she wasn't going to join the mob and hunt down the deputy, otherwise, she wouldn't have bothered listening to him nor his ask for help. Only time would tell, but it would have to do so fast for it was running out.

* * *

**AN: Sorry this one is as late as it is, I was unhappy with the end results numerous times and rewrote it almost in its entirety. This was originally meant to go up almost two weeks ago.**

**Also, I know I said that after the previous chapter all others would return to the 6-7 day upload schedule, but ****I can't find myself sticking to that deadline anymore. So, upload times will now range from as little as a week to a whole month depending on what exactly it is the chapter is going to be about**.** I don't think it'd be fair of me to keep everyone waiting for God knows how long and pointlessly dragging on the chapter from a week to two to whatever. ****Uploads won't ever go beyond a month, so you'll always have at least one, maybe two, a month.**

**So this chapter was going to be split into two parts but I figured I'd save the rest for another time if only to write a better chapter. There's more to these interactions, well there's more to everything actually in the future. Specifically more of the other GFHs (Grace/Nick) and Jerome.**

**Anyways, I'll see you when I see you. Which, given what I have planned for the next chapter, should be soon.**


	28. Stormy Weather

Like the majority of people in the Holland Valley, Grace had made up her mind regarding the deputy and Faith. It was the same conclusion almost everyone there had which was to give the deputy a chance to explain and defend himself. And so she would do just that, to repay the many selfless things he had done for her.

She saw it as the least she could do after initially turning her back on him when the whole ordeal began.

Hearing him and Faith out proved to be difficult seeing as how no one had a clue as to where they could possibly be. The closest they got to actually having an idea as to where they were was almost two months back when people reported seeing the deputy in the region. After that, the trail went cold with the odd sighting here and there that usually ended up being someone that looked vaguely similar to the pair.

It looked as if they were back at square one, with no one having any idea of where Rook and Faith were.

Until now, of course.

Now, the trail was no longer cold and thanks to the very loud mouths that Hurk and Sharky carried, Nathan and Faith weren't as hidden away as they thought they were. But despite being seemingly in the know of the pair and their whereabouts, Grace still wanted to talk to Nick and Kim. They deserved to be in the know anytime something regarding the deputy came up. After all, aside from Jess, they could be the closest people to him.

Arriving at the Rye residence, Grace found the couple and their newborn sitting outside and enjoying the evening sun. She greeted them both but before she could speak she was interrupted.

"Any word on Nathan?" Kim was the first to ask, there was a hint of nervousness in her voice like she expected bad news. After everything fell apart for him she became extremely worries about the deputy. She was angry at his decision to keep Faith Seed alive much like everyone else but the last thing she wanted was for him to have to run away in fear of being killed.

"Actually I'm here to talk about that, I overheard Hurk talking with his mother a while ago. They were discussing the deputy when Hurk let slip that he knew where he was." Grace saw their faces light up at the last part.

"So Drubman spilled the beans on where they were?" Nick asked her, snorting quietly at her nod. "How am I not surprised?"

"Pretty weird he decided to trust those two and not us..." Kim didn't have anything against either of the two but even she had to admit that trusting them was probably very idiotic.

"Desperation does things to people, He probably did it because he saw it as his only option."

"So where are they?" Was the long awaited question.

"The Hope County Clinic..."

"No shit!?" Nick asked, wide eyed and feeling slightly stupid for not bothering to search that place. In his defense, after seeing the place empty for months he expected it to stay that way for a long time. "That fucking close?"

"I was surprised too, to think I was thinking about searching the woods for them..."

"Still, the Hope County Clinic? Literally five minutes away from here, maybe even less." Kim was surprised at the proximity. Only a few days ago she had talked to Nick about the possibility of Nathan and Faith having left Hope County.

"You have to go find them before it's too late!"

"Faith's going to be there with him." Grace warned.

"So?" Kim asked, unsure as to why she would bring up something so obvious.

"So how do you feel about her?"

This time it was Nick that answered. "Same as anybody, monster just like the rest of that fuckin' family."

Though Kim mostly agreed with the sentiment her husband had, even she was a bit confused. "Then why would Nathan keep her alive?"

"I dunno, I ask myself that too but I guess she used the Bliss or something?"

"It's time we face the fact that they aren't a separate matter anymore. It's both of them we need to find." Grace had noticed that when they talked about Nathan. The always focused on him only, forgetting the luggage he carried with him.

"Man, I know that. Doesn't mean I have to like it one bit..."

"Look, Honey, I'm not saying we're completely wrong about the terrible shit she's done but... For the sake of the deputy it's time we bring her into the equation Nick." Kim adressed her husband, showing a slight interest as to what Faith actually had to say, if anything at all.

"Nah, don't even say that we aren't wrong on her! She did more than enough to prove she was just as insane as the others!" Nick argued, but he knew it would get him nowhere.

"We'll see once we find them, make our final verdict there..." Grace knew their verdict would matter very little if at all. Nathan was keeping her alive and would likely continue to do so, after all, not even death threats and getting booted from the resistance he helped start could change his mind.

"There'll be more time to talk about this later, right now we gotta go find them before it's too late." Kim wasn't sure what she felt regarding Faith, as long as the whole wanting the deputy dead thing was dropped she was fine.

Nick picked up the rifle resting beside the door only to be stopped by Kim. She held a tight grip in his wrist, reminding him of the time they had Nathan drive them to the clinic after Kim's water broke. Nick swore he could still see the red imprint of her fingerprints.

"I recommend you leave your weapons behind honey, don't want to scare the guy and get a negative reaction." She advised, Nick wanted to disagree but Grace stepped in as well.

"She's right, if he sees we're armed he'll probably take it the wrong way."

"Doubt he'll become violent, but if you say so..." Nick placed the rifle back down and turned to the two.

"Remember, he's been with Faith for long, we don't know what to expect." Grace warned, even she was somewhat hesitant to leave her rifle behind but she knew it was best to approach Nathan and Faith without them.

"Well hopefully, it'll be regular old Nate and not some fuckin' bliss angel or something."

Kim slapped his arm, not wanting to imagine her daughter's godfather in such a state. "Don't even say that!"

"Unlikely given how he talked to Hurk and Sharky, but we can't really be too sure..." Had he been turned into one he would probably be swinging a garden hoe at them instead of asking for help.

"Fine, I'm sorry..."

Nick, anxious to find Nathan, urged that they take his truck and go to the clinic. Kim stayed behind but warned that if they did find Nathan that they bring him to their home.

Just as they were about to leave Nick decided to ask something that had been on his mind ever since Nathan and he were blaring the car radio months ago after a night at the Spread Eagle.

"You think he's forgiven me for saying that Status Quo was crap?" A blank stare and a glare that said "Now's not the time Nicholas.." were enough for Nick to drop the question.

"Ah, not important right now..."

They left in the direction of the clinic, Nick radioed Hurk and Sharky to meet them there. Spirits were somewhat high for both, though there was still the skepticism lingering that maybe Nathan and Faith weren't there at all.

Soon they would find out, and disappointment would be the only thing around.

* * *

Grace wasn't at all surprised that the clinic was empty. To blindly expect to see Nathan and Faith sitting idly there would be idiotic. Of course, they were gone.

Hurk and Sharky swore up and down that they had been there not long ago. She didn't doubt them, after all she had heard Drubman's conversation with Adelaide. Nick didn't seem so sure, so under his request they investigated the area.

Inside the clinic they found trash, mostly food wrappers, and a pair of bloodied dark blue jeans. Hard to tell if they belonged to their old friend obviously, but they had a hole the size of a bullet where the majority of the bloodstains were.

Aside from the old pickup truck that had dried up blood in the passenger's seat, not much else could be found. They brought up their findings to the two cousins who confirmed what was in already going through Grace's mind.

"Well now that you mentioned it Ms Armstrong, Nate did walk around with a limp every time we saw him." Hurk pointed at his right leg to indicate where exactly Nathan got shot. "Kinda like my old man after he got into that fight with the hooker we brought him for his birthday, turns out that was really just a dude with some ridiculously painful steel tip high heels..."

"Back to the limp Hurk!" Nick urged annoyed that they were going off track.

"I asked him and he told me not to worry about it," Sharky spoke up, Hurk nodded and continued.

"Anytime I brought that up or Faith, Nate just ignored me. Can you believe that? Nate ignoring ME, his best bud?"

"Obviously for the sake of my own ego, I'll chalk it up to the stress he's been going through but believe me an apology I will demand after this is over!" Hurk finished his rant and turned his attention back to Sharky who was busy trying to convince him to go to the shooting ranges later. Nick took that as an opportunity to get them out of their hairs for a while. He knew it would work seeing as how both were admittedly incredibly dumb.

"Hurk, Sharky you guys can go. We'll let you know if we find anything else about our friend."

"Sure man, but if you find Nate with Faith can you like, not kill her? I've been trying to shoot my shot for the longest time here." Hurk was still desperate to catch Faith's attention. There was only so much fun in being ignored by a woman before he began craving their attention however little they may give.

"Sure Hurky, whatever man just get out of here..." Nick urged on, he liked Hurk and Sharky but even he had to admit he wasn't certain either cousin could be much help.

"Alright Nicholas we're out, gotta calm down those nerves by the way. It isn't healthy..."

Nick threw him a crumpled paper in response.

The duo quickly left to one of the many farms turned shooting ranges with their explosive weapons in tow. No doubt they would get kicked out of the valley with how much ruckus they would cause.

"Where could they have possibly gone?"

"Nathan must've known Hurk and Sharky couldn't be trusted to keep quiet for very long, he probably only did it because he was desperate." Grace knew that for a fact. She understood that despite everything Nathan was good friends with the cousins but to place such confidence on their silence would be dangerous.

"Eventually they would have to leave, it was inevitable that it would happen. Knowing that the risk of trusting Hurk or Sharky wasn't going to pay off for very long and would come back to bite him..."

She shifted her focus back to the clinic and their findings.

"Okay, so we know he is or was injured. It's likely it happened while he was in the valley, or at some point while he was leaving the Henbane..." Grace summarized, knowing she could possibly be completely wrong.

Nick nodded. "You think it was by our own people? I mean some will shoot on sight."

"I'm not sure, and I hope not," Grace walked over to the empty room where several people, including Nathan and Nick, had been treated for injuries resulting from John's cleansing. "Last thing anyone needs is to learn that he did end up fighting someone in the resistance and more than likely killed them."

"Yeah, then any of the one's who don't necessarily hate the guy will really change their minds..." In the few times since Carmina's birth that Nick had gone to the Spread Eagle for a drink, he would occasionally overhear conversations regarding the situation with Rook and Faith and what to do if they found the pair. "Shoot them" was the usual conclusion. The few that weren't exactly on board with that idea would quickly find themselves agreeing if they learned that Nathan had killed resistance soldiers.

"Where do you think he'll go from here?" He asked Grace, not necessarily expecting a conclusive answer.

"Knowing Nathan, he'll want to keep the low profile for as long as he can. It's the only way he'd be able to

"You said he talked to Adelaide, think she might know something more?" Nick asked, hopeful that she may have more information on the true whereabouts of the deputy and Faith. Grace shrugged her shoulders in response.

"We'll have to ask her, it's a good thing she's sided with Rook for the most part." Part of her felt Adelaide knew more than what she really let on in their conversation.

They understood that they would have to contact her again to really find out if she knew more information, it was either that or a long drive to the marina. One thing they could safely rule out was that the search was no longer in the Holland Valley, it had been done so thoroughly.

That brought them back to the other two regions where the pair would be in greater danger than they ever were. If the more hostile people found Nathan and Faith then it was guarenteed that a fight would break out and it would bring a whole lot more problems to the pile.

* * *

Currently the Drubman marina could be best described as a neat little place with some extremely confused people in it. No one knew exactly what to say or do now that the new guests had arrived. To most, it was good to see that the deputy was still alive and kicking but relief was quickly overcome by the anger they had towards Faith Seed.

Xander felt he was on the neutral side of things, he didn't have a side to pick due to not bothering to look much into things. He knew Addie was vocal about defending the deputy, but not so much Faith. Understandably so of course, no one liked that woman one bit.

Now, Adelaide had gone to who knows where in redneckville leaving him with nothing to do, except she did tell him to keep the people off the deputy and Faith's backs and to also prepare himself for their rigours exercise routine. Where were those pesky handcuffs?

"We've waited long enough to hear the guy out, what's a few more days?" He tried to reason with the second or third person that day. First two conversations had gone along well, the people understood the state in which the deputy was in and were willing to wait. That proved that they were smarter than he thought, Xander was sure all that dip and firearm powder would've made them a little slow.

"The thing is we don't know if Faith fucked with his head or not, this could be all a ploy to get close to the resistance again!" The man, whose name he didn't know but he was one of the regular fishermen Xander saw every once and a while, argued.

"Oh, c'mon man, what answers are you think you're gonna receive from him right now? He'll probably end up knocked out halfway through explaining himself." Everyone had seen in just how bad of a state Nathan was, but people were unwilling to wait.

"Not my fuckin' problem." The man dismissed and turned back to his fishing rod he had been so desperately trying to untangle. Xander left with slight defeat. It wasn't all that bad, what was one bad apple? The other people would surely understand.

"Look all I'm saying is we need to give him time to recover from whatever the hell it is he's been through." The seventh person he had tried talking to that day, Xander was getting tired already. Most were agreeing to his idea of waiting a week at most but one or two were insistent on questioning them now.

"Jesus Christ, fine! I'll talk to some of the others and tell 'em to wait a while." Came the exasperated reply from the other person. A woman who usually stopped by to buy fishing supplies and, most recently, one of the several speedboats Adelaide had out in the pier.

"Anyways, what's up with you and being so concerned about the deputy? Last time I checked you didn't even know his name." The woman asked, apparently she had overhead the conversation he had with the others on the matter.

"What can I say? Cali taught me all about helping others in their time of need." Xander responded, feeling a sense of accomplishment, the woman began laughing at the absurdity of his response.

"No, c'mon for real dude you can tell me..."

"And because I'm trying to help out Addie..." Helping out the deputy was sure to sweeten Xander up with Adelaide more than currently. Not that he only did it for that, there was genuine concern around there somewhere.

The woman nodded, "I knew the first part was bullshit. So a favor for Adelaide?"

Xander responded bluntly. "Yep, if only because I'm getting real tired of the pegging..."

"That's absolutely fucking disgusting, I didn't need to know that!"

"You people are so goddamn old school..."

The woman shook her head in pure disgust.

Contempt with his progress, Xander bid his farewell and left. He would continue trying to convince people later, after he was one hundred percent sure Adelaide would give the deputy and Faith more time to rest before they gave their sides of the whole ordeal

* * *

Nathan opened his eyes and immediately regretted doing so. His eyes stung and were quickly watering so he quickly clenched them tightly shut, ignoring the sharp sting of doing so. Keeping them closed for several minutes Nathan wondered how long he had been sleeping, the windows were all boarded up so he couldn't see outside at all.

Regardless of how much he slept, it didn't suffice given how awfully tired he still felt.

He felt a hand was running its fingers through his hair while another caressed his cheek and jawline. Nathan opened his eyes and found himself facing a wall, as well as Faith's lower body. It all reminded him of just where exactly he was.

Nathan swore he was so out of it that for a split second he thought he was back at the Hope County jail.

Moving around proved difficult for a variety of reasons. His head was painfully craned downwards and his neck was killing him. Another reason was because he just didn't want to, not with such a great view Faith's lower area. So it wasn't that bad, maybe he could learn to tolerate waking up if he did so with his face nestled comfortably between Faith's breasts.

Out of politeness, and also because he started to feel like a creep, Nathan tried moving away to no avail, moving around made his muscles feel like they were on fire. That probably wasn't good. Nathan noticed that she had wrapped her arms and legs around him at some point while he slept.

"What are you doing?" Faith asked, she was confused by his constant movement. At first she thought he was still fast asleep but his bleary eyes were wide open and looking around in a tired daze. "Didn't get enough rest last night?"

Nathan gave her a blank stare, he couldn't remember anything from the night before. Did we...? No, I don't think we did.

He would definitely remember if they had sex, it would be a shame if he didn't. Still, he had to make sure.

"Did we do something last night?" Because he had just woken up, Nathan's voice was still raspy. Clearing his throat did very little to help.

"No," Her response was quick with a hint of disappointment. "We, or you, fell asleep really fast."

"I did?" Nathan could vaguely remember they had some semblance of a conversation the night before. It was something about where their ideal place to live would be... Or did he dream that? His answer was still: Wherever, as long as it was far away from Hope County.

"Yeah, didn't even give me a chance to ask..."

"Ask what?"

"What your obsession was with my..." She looked down on Nathan's favorite pillows. "You can just tell me that you like feeling them, I don't mind."

Nathan quickly shook his head and tried once more to push himself off her but she held him tighter to her body. He could feel his face burning from embarrassment.

_I should've fucking slept on the floor..._

"Nah, don't start, this was an accident and you know it!"

Faith giggled at just how flustered he had become. The only other time he ever acted like that was two weeks ago. In the cabin, she managed to convince him to sleep with her in the cramped and, after finding a barely comfortable position to sleep they went to bed. Faith woke up hours later to find her foot accidentally halfway inside Nathan's open mouth.

He apologized profusely soon after, insisting he didn't do it on purpose.

"I'm sure it was. Is that why you pressed your face so close? I was scared you were going to suffocate!"

"You know damn well how fucking tired I was yesterday." He tried justifying to no success, Faith simply didn't believe he didn't have less than noble intentions.

"So?"

"So I wasn't aware that I laid my head there, duh..." Nathan rubbed his eyes painfully, they still stung a little. Sighing in defeat he gave her a pleading look.

"It wasn't on purpose, I swear."

Faith laughed at his defeat, she swore he could be so adorable at times. "You're making a big deal out of this, it's not like you've never seen them before."

She lifted her leg up to Nathan's hip and shifted to a more comfortable position. Her eyebrows raised in surprise as she felt something poke her behind.

"Nathan!?"

She turned to see him looking down uncomfortably, all the while his face was bright red.

"Teasing isn't gonna get us anywhere..." He laughed awkwardly, unsure of what exactly to do in their current situation.

Faith was quick to rip away Nathan's illusion of control by pushing her body off of his and shifting closer to the edge of the bed.

"It's not, but it's fun!"

"It's cruel..."

"Don't be dramatic Nate, you'll live."

Nathan snorted quietly at her response. "Nate? I never really liked being called that. I always preferred Nathan."

"Well too bad, Nate, because that's what I'm calling you!"

Nathan supposed two could play that game, though he wasn't sure what his play would warrant as a response.

"Whatever, you can call me what you want, Rachel..."

"Mhmm, I will Nate, trust me I will..."

Nathan was surprised at the lack of reaction at the mention of her name. It had earned him several hateful glares months ago when she was still under his supervision at the Hope County Jail.

"Wouldn't you want me to kiss your scars away?" Faith wasn't done with her borderline torture. He felt her hand venture down to his thigh, where the permanent reminder of his stupidity now served as some sort of foreplay. He caught his breath as he felt her hand go above his thigh and brush through his erection.

"Yeah, I got this big one across my chest could ya' get rid of that one?" Was his admittedly idiotic reply.

Faith giggled. "Baby steps"

He laughed with her before letting out a loud yawn. Nathan closed his bleary, stinging eyes tightly. He couldn't see himself staying up for more than a few minutes. Sleep called and Nathan would sure as hell answer.

"Back to sleep?"

Nathan nodded and nestled himself closer to Faith. Her warmth was enough to make him want to sleep for a while more. How long had he been without a full night's rest? Way too long. Then again, sleep hadn't exactly come any easier before everything fell apart for him. There were nights when sleep came easy for a few hours, then he'd wake up in a cold sweat waving his handgun in the air. It wasn't anything even remotely pleasant, but it was the norm and there was really nothing he could do about it, unfortunately, life just had it out for him like that. It was getting old, and fast.

"Yeah, I can't stay awake for long, I'm still fucking tired."

He didn't linger too much on that because there were much bigger things to worry about, like getting shot while he slept, or when he was awake. Yes, Nathan still very much feared having the back of his head on the receiving end of a .45 and to have his brains splattered all over the ground. One would call it being overly paranoid, he saw it as a necessary precaution, but Nathan wasn't stepping foot out of the room without his rifle and handgun.

"That's okay, as long as you rest. We'll pick up where we left off later. Deal?" She brought her arm up to shake his hand but Nathan pushed it away and moved to her lips. Mindful not to fall asleep in the middle of french kissing Nathan pulled away and smiled, he would be certainly looking forward to waking up again.

"Deal."

* * *

**AN: Last week that was pushed back due to some very personal issues, they've been momentarily resolved so I had time to post it today. Following upload will be at the end of next month.**

**That one will bring some focus back to Kim and Nick, this one was a bit brief and there's more I want to write on them. Also it'll have focus on Nathan and Faith too.**


	29. Of Heroes and Villains

When Kim suggested to Nick that they invite guests to their home more often, she always meant as in inviting them over for a cookout or something along those lines. Not to discuss runaway deputies. Or the heralds said deputies ran away with.

"Nick, you knew that eventually we were going to have to talk about her." Kim was sure he really needed the reminder. Almost all conversations regarding the situation focused primarily on Nathan and only briefly touched on the subject of Faith.

"I know, don't mean I have to like it!"

"Neither do I, but it's her the deputy ran away with." Kim wasn't particularly interested in what Faith had to say in her defense, if she even had any. It was merely to better understand why Nathan did what he did that day.

"I think it's time we all take a step back and try and figure out why exactly Rook saved her."

"Don't think we'll get somewhere when it's only me, you and Grace..." Trying to bring anyone else in at the moment, especially resistance-wise, would likely derail the conversation to killing Faith and bringing the deputy back. Or alternatively: Shoot them both and rid themselves of the trouble of any violent reactions on the deputy's part.

Kim thought about calling Mary May but figured she must be busy with her bar and keeping Falls End in check.

"Hurk and Sharky are still Rook's friends, I'm sure they've got something... _useful? _to say about the whole ordeal." Nick had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at the suggestion. He knew trying to get anything useful out of Hurk and Sharky would be pain.

"Well, what can we talk about? We don't know a lot about her, if anything it'd be Sharky who we'd have to ask or maybe Hurk."

"Then we'll ask them," Regardless if Nick wasn't up for it, Kim had already called them over.

"Not that I don't appreciate them or their help, but... why do we need them?"

"Because unlike you, me or Grace, Hurk and Sharky know more about Jacob and Faith... at least I hope." It was important to try and narrow down the reasons for Nathan's decision to not kill Faith. So everyone agreed to draw the comparisons between her, John and Jacob. It was the whole point of everyone meeting up in the residence.

"What about you honey?" She only then realized she never asked Nick if Rook had even tried to talk to him. It completely slipped her mind for whatever reason. "Did he ever try and explain himself to you?"

"Uh, very briefly. It was like... three maybe four days before they ran away he talked to me about it." Nick wasn't exactly angry at his decision, he was more confused than anything. Nathan, through gritted teeth and scowl, tried justifying his decision but the message wasn't going through very clearly when he was cussing up a storm under his breath.

"Or tried to at least..."

"Look, I must've caught him in a bad mood that day cause he looked like he was out to kill." After Nathan had semi-explained his actions he stormed back up to the cell where Faith was. Before he left he had told Nick they'd talk more, but by the next day Nick was back in the Holland Valley.

"See why it's important we talk about her? If he wasn't able to, then it's up to us to figure it all out as best we can before they're found."

"Who else did he have with him before? Jess?"

Nick shook his head. "She left to the Henbane a while ago, plus she's not easy to talk to unless you're Nate."

He figured that with Hurk and Sharky present Jess would be less inclined to talk and more focused on finding the pair.

"What about Adelaide?"

"Also in the river. Grace spoke with her, and found out that Nate had actually made contact with her at some point but that's about all she said..." Nick was curious as to what side Adelaide was on. If he had to guess he figured she was likely on Nathan's, either that or she simply didn't care.

"Well the others should be on their way here, we'll go on from there."

"Sure."

* * *

Grace and Sharky were the first ones to arrive, they were coming from Falls End and the pumpkin farm respectively. Hurk arrived later despite also being in Falls End, 'traffic' got a hold of him. Seeing Hurk with that rocket launcher of his made Nick and Kim especially uneasy, and it also made everyone else wonder why he continued to carry it around without any peggies to actually use it on.

Once everybody had arrived, Kim had made it clear that all firearms were to be kept out of the house. She didn't want to risk one going off in such close proximity to her daughter.

"So I suppose we all know why we're here?" Grace asked, the question being directed mostly at Hurk and Sharky.

"To figure out why Nate kept Faith alive?" Sharky spoke up, unsure as to why all eyes were on him and his cousin.

"Right."

"Hey c'mon, I think we're smart enough to know what's going on right now..." He continued.

"Look, there has to be a reason Nathan kept Faith alive." Kim started off, anxious to get started already. "And not only that but you guys told me he was constantly looking out for her in the jailhouse."

"We still can't rule out that she didn't use one of her manipulation tricks on him." Nick argued the same, and only plausible argument they had at the moment.

"You told me Nathan tried talking to you before he ran off with her, and besides it's been months. If she was planning something don't you think she'd have done it already?" Kim rebutted.

"She's right, If Faith really wanted to cause harm she'd have done so long ago using Nathan." Grace agreed which in turn encouraged Kim to continue.

"Also, if she really was plotting something, don't you think she'd have Nathan kill Hurk and Sharky? Possible threats and all."

"Woah, woah, hey! Now, I'm not sure just where you got these theories from Mrs. Rye, but I can assure you neither Faith nor Nate want to kill me." This time Hurk spoke, or rather shouted. He didn't believe either one would actually have any ill intent towards him or Sharky.

"The most threatening thing he told us was that if we revealed where they were to anyone that he'd shoot us." Sharky pointed out. Despite the humor in his voice, he did catch a hint of seriousness in his words.

"He was laughing so I think it was a joke, but he hardly ever joked before so it's kinda off-putting..."

"Rook was very protective of her when they were both still at the jail. If you were Jess or one of the cougars then you weren't getting anywhere near her without his say so." Sharky told the group, remembering how Nathan became a lacking presence after he spared Faith.

"Would he justify his behavior?"

Sharky scratched his chin and stood pensive for a moment. "It was the usual 'bout how he knew there was a better person within her and stuff like that. His eyes weren't glazed out so I could tell he wasn't under the influence of any bliss."

"What I'm about to say may sound crazy but... could uh.. we have been wrong about her as a person?" Kim's question received mixed responses from the group

"I don't think we're exactly around about her. Do we not know the full picture yet? Sure, I'll agree to that but wrong?" There was no doubt in Grace's mind that Faith was a terrible person for what she did, and even that description she felt was putting what she truly felt about her lightly.

"Wait... does this mean that I am perhaps one step closer to briding her?"

"Kim, I don't know where you got that from but I didn't imply that one bit..."

"I dunno honey, her actions made it clear what kind of person she is..." Nick didn't know how wrong they could be about her. Everyone who was from the Henbane spoke of all the terrible things she and her people did.

"Well then let's compare her to the other two. That's what we're here to do no?" She urged the others. She then turned her attention to Nick and Grace.

"Here we were too busy with the pregnancy and having John breathing down our necks all the damn time to even think about what was going on in the other regions."

"Sharky, you've been in the Henbane longer than any of us. How was it when Faith was around?" Kim figured that if anyone knew about Faith's tactics in the Henbane it'd be him.

"There was a shit ton of bliss, there still is a shit ton right now. Uh... She was nice, really nice. I think she liked me or something because she was super insistent I join the cult." Sharky was never interested in joining, especially not with the cult's bland music taste.

"She didn't immediately try and kill you like the John and Jacob, so I guess she had that going for her."

He wondered what she did with the twenty bucks he gave her. He did the awfully difficult math and figured it must've been enough for two six packs of beer, which was what their original purpose was.

"And, maybe it was because I'm big into doin' my own thing far away without the legal repercussions of the civilized world but, I swear I saw more of them angels than I did peggies." He figured it was that. When he was with Nathan there was peggies at every damn corner.

"Fun fact about those little buggers is that disco music would drive 'em wild! I swear it was like moths to a lamp when Grease played!"

Grace saw he was beginning to go off track. "How was the fight over there?"

Though she and Nick had both been in the Henbane while Faith was still around, the region had been nearly liberated by then. Sharky had been there before, during and after.

"It was tough. Nothing dep couldn't handle right, but it was tough..." Understanding that was probably as much as she was getting from Sharky, Kim thanked him and turned her train of thought over to the Whitetail Mountains.

"Jacob?" Kim this time asked Grace and Hurk.

"Oh, man Jacob was a real tough one. The fight over there was all in the hands of Eli and the Whitetails." Unlike his dad, Hurk had some hope the Whitetails would hold off Jacob without it costing the lives of everyone in the mountain region.

"Rook and I hit the region not long after he and Nick took down John. That was a fuckin' shift in tone." From personal experience, Grace knew that the peggies in the Holland Valley were tough but the ones in Jacob's region were even more so.

"I remember my dad used to have one of them mounted guns on the front porch of the house," Hurk recalled that it happened a week before he met Nathan. He only wished he'd been there sooner so he wouldn't to have heard his dad complaining about it and blaming him. "Well one day we wake up to find that it's gone and that same day I find out the peggies took it."

"It's a start but we need to know more about them." Kim figured the best way would be to speak to other people that lived in the other two regions. Hurk and Sharky could only provide so much information.

"So maybe she wasn't as sadistic and cruel as her brother's, don't exactly see how that makes her any better..."

"It may not make her better Nick, but it sure as hell makes her different." Grace could agree that different didn't exactly change much.

They needed more information, and Grace figured Hurk and Sharky had to know something more. Nathan had to have told them something before he took Faith out of the Valley.

"What else did he tell you guys, before he left?"

"Uh... He harbors no hard feelings towards us for not giving him a chance to defend himself?"

"Anything else, something a little more useful."

"Dep also told us she has a boyfriend, he didn't say who though." Sharky offered lamely, unsure as to whether or not it classified as something more useful.

Everyone aside from him and Hurk looked surprised. "She does? If he wasn't eventually killed at one point then he might be looking for her."

To Grace that didn't make much sense. "Think it's a peggie?"

"Well unless one of our own struck up something with her at some point, I don't see how it could be anyone else." Nick countered, finding the notion that someone from the resistance was actually dumb enough to harbor a relationship with Faith Seed.

Grace shrugged, she knew how almost every man in the Henbane, even the ones that wanted her dead, found the Bliss herald attractive.

"Isn't the cult real uptight about relationships or something like that?" Kim asked, everyone could see that something was beginning to dawn on her.

"It could be she got special treatment for being one of their leaders." Sharky had no clue how the hierarchy of The Project worked so he could only guess.

"Yeah, adding to that, Rook told me he found a note from a peggie named Holly, apparently she and John had something going on..." Grace told them.

"Wait... you don't think?"

"What? That Nathan is actually the boyfriend he was referring to?" Kim wanted to say yes, he was but there was no way of knowing unless they asked him and seeing as how they were God knows where...

"Unless Nate's got a thing for lunatics, then there's no other explanation."

"There's still the manipulation, something she was extremely good at."

"If she wanted to seduce him, don't you think she'd have done so earlier? like... _before _he destroyed her drug operations?"

"They did spend a lot more time together in the jail..." Hurk didn't exactly like thinking too much about that fact.

"Well duh, the cougars had made it clear that they wanted Faith dead." Sharky responded.

"Okay but back to the subject of Faith." Kim wanted to round it all up and leave it for another day, she could hear Carmina beginning to stir upstairs. "If it is Nate, then we're gonna have to come to terms that Faith ain't going nowhere no matter what we say or do..."

"We'll talk more about this later, I'm exhausted..." Nick wanted to go lay down, it had been a long day of taking care of his infant daughter and then this.

"Don't you think we should bring in more people, like Mary since Jerome is still at the Henbane?" Kim asked Grace figuring she'd agree.

"Yeah, it's important we get more opinions on the matter, preferably those that don't immediately want them both dead."

* * *

Faith was never the biggest fan of cigarettes. She hated the smell and the disgusting aftertaste wasn't something she liked either. The last time she ever touched one was close to seven years ago when all she had was that, alcohol, the needle, and Tracey's overly pessimistic attitude. Why she did so in the first place was out of a rebellious attitude that was cut short by the backhand of her father.

So when Nathan offered her one she turned it down. He simply shrugged at her rejection and went back to smoking, making sure to blow the smoke in the other direction as to avoid it hitting her face.

"Didn't know you were still a fan of those." She gave a small, awkward laugh for some odd reason. Maybe it was because he'd been so quiet so far, not something very usual of him.

Nathan slowly nodded his head but he didn't really seem to be paying much attention to her. The lack of verbal response lead Faith to believe they'd stick to silence, but after about a minute Nathan responded.

"Neither did I..." Another long drag.

She would like to tell him to stop, that smoking was terrible for his health and all it took was one for things to spiral down but she didn't feel like being a hypocrite.

Faith didn't want Nathan to misinterpret her warnings and concern as her trying to take some sort of moral high ground and point out her own past addictions. Though honestly, she didn't actually expect such an aggressive response from him, but with how stressed he'd been recently she didn't want to risk irritating him.

_And, am I forgetting what he's doing currently isn't anything close to an addiction?_

So she remained silent and stared at the cigar that kept growing smaller each time he placed it back between his lips. She began to take note of the way his hands trembled. It wasn't very noticeable but Faith prized herself for having keen eyes.

But that certainly caught her attention given it wasn't very cold in the room. Even in only her dress, she wasn't bothered by the chilly air conditioner.

He, on the other hand, had his jacket. Because of that, Faith thought he'd be oblivious to any cold though that didn't seem to be the case.

"Y'know, I was never actually onboard with having the title of leader of the resistance slapped on by everyone,"

Nathan spoke to her, yet his eyes remained fixated on an old Clutch Nixon poster that had been hastily stapled to the wall. "I always felt it only painted a bigger target on my back than the one I already had."

"What was I to do honestly? Say 'no, I don't want this'? It wasn't gonna work like that. I had a job to do, whether I liked it or not..."

He paused and gave her a side glance as if to make sure she was still listening. Faith moved closer and took his trembling hand in hers to reassure him that she still was.

Nathan smiled at her softly, then took another drag of the cigarette. "Now, I didn't actually make many particularly important decisions, thankfully. No, I was... I don't even know what I was!"

"Nate, I know I asked this once but... If they offer you a place with them again, will you accept?" Faith didn't like having him stop talking, especially when he was opening up to her which he rarely did, but she just had to know.

She had to make sure.

He stared at her, the dim lighting of the room and the dark bags under his eyes made his expression indiscernible.

That question was one he asked himself day after day, night after night. If, and only if, he was to be forgiven by the resistance, would he take arms again and join once more? The offer was there already, but at the cost of losing Faith.

Part of him wanted to say yes, that he would for a chance to reconcile and fix things with his friends.

The more sane side of him already knew the answer: he wouldn't take the offer. Never in a million years would he let the thought of leaving her become reality.

_C'mon Nate, just give her the damn __answer_... He urged himself, _Now granted__, it's not_ _particularly the one you really want, but it's the one she wants._

"I uh... I don't know." He responded. "I honestly don't..."

Faith wasn't much surprised by his answer, but she was secretly relieved by it. The relief came from the fear that if he cleared his name, he'd suggest they go their separate ways. It also came from a very selfish part of her that wanted Nathan to leave everything behind and escape Hope County with her, like she constantly daydreamed about.

"I mean, as much as I'd like to, you're what's most important to me right now."

"I am?" Hearing him say those words to her helped alleviate her worries. There was no double meaning, no selfishness, he didn't expect anything from her in return.

Nathan nodded and flicked the now finished cigar to the floor and stepped on it with his boot. "Because even if I did set things straight with the county, a second chance would only apply for me and not you..."

"You'd still have to keep hiding and that's not what I want for you, not anymore. My main goal is and has always been to get you out of Hope County, that's it."

How could someone be so selfless? Everyone turned their backs on him, and that deeply hurt Nathan. Despite there being an opportunity to mend that he'd rather continue the struggle, just to grant her a shot at a normal life outside of the county. A life Faith knew she wanted to spend with only him.

"Nathan but what about your job and your friends-"

"Look, we'll worry about that when the time comes." Nathan cut her off, feeling that now wasn't the time to be overthinking such things. "And being the leader of the resistance is very different from what my _actual_ job was."

"Yeah, you're right." Faith figured it was best they changed the subject, she could see how agitated Nathan was for, some odd reason. "Anyways..."

"Feeling better?"

Throughout the night he'd wake up groaning in pain and startling her to death. Faith didn't know what to do, they were out of painkillers and she didn't exactly want to approach him seeing as how he slept with his gun in his hand. The last thing she wanted was to startle him while he slept and end up getting shot.

"Nope, everything still hurts real bad. I'm also getting this annoying itch in my thigh where the scar is." He was also having very vivid nightmares, but those were so common he'd be more concerned if they suddenly stopped occurring.

"You want to go back to sleep?"

"Nah, I think I need to move around a little more."

Nathan didn't like feeling useless, especially not in the situation he and Faith currently found themselves in. As much as he loved feeling her body comfortably wrapped around his, Nathan was staring to become anxious now that he wasn't up and about.

"Need help?" Faith offered, finding humor in the prospect of mothering him around while he recuperated.

"Don't really think I'll have a choice will I?"

She eagerly shook her head and responded."I don't think so!"

Nathan laughed, maybe being helped around wouldn't be that bad. Not when he had the love of his life to help him. "I love you."

"I love you too."

He pulled her in for a passionate kiss, letting their hands traverse all over their bodies. Once they were both out of breath did they separate.

Faith giggled then stood pensive, lightly tapping her chin with her index finger. A smile grew wider on her face.

"By the way are you ticklish?"

Nathan met her cute and innocent smirk with a half-hearted glare. He understood well enough why she asked that. It wasn't going to work.

"I am, but don't even start."

* * *

**AN: Does this count as the end of December? Oh well, it's the last one before the holidays.** **The discussion about Faith isn't over yet, and other characters will be eventually brought into it.** **This one might've not hit the mark but I'll be fleshing it out more as the story continues**

**Also figured I'd make Sharky less Hurk-ish in his personality, if only by a little bit.**

**Recently tried out the DLCs for FC5, really thankful I only paid half of the Season Pass price for underwhelming content. Then again, I didn't really expect high quality stuff when one of the names is 'Dead Living Zombies' and the other's secondary protagonist is Hurk.**

**That zombie one feels like something straight out of the Arcade.**

**Anyways, personal disdain for lackluster post-game content aside, I'll see you next month!**


	30. Dark Blue Is The River

There wasn't a day that went by where Jerome didn't regret not lending a helping hand to the deputy in regards to the Faith situation. If he had helped much earlier then maybe things could've turned out different. The guilt leaving him to fend in his time of need didn't sit well with Jerome at all. The deputy never actually asked for any help from him probably because he expected him _not _to give any at all. An understandable, yet incorrect, assumption given how no one else bothered to help him.

Jerome had to try and fix things between everyone and Rook. It was the best way he could help him now, until he and Faith were found. But both things were much easier said than done, at least at the moment

It had been months since Jerome had last been to the Hope County Jail. If he recalled correctly, the last time had been four months ago. While he couldn't remember exactly why he'd been there, most probable guess was that it had something to do with Rook's decision. From then on, the most he knew about what happened in the river was through word of mouth.

It was, unsurprisingly, bustling with activity. A few people were in the entrance talking amongst each other, and others were up above in the guard posts keeping watch. It looked like everyone was still recovering from the sudden animal attacks that Jerome heard happened not long before. The bliss had a varied effect on animals that were exposed to heavy doses, some became extremely aggressive not only to people and other animals, but sometimes their own kind. There were also some that became rather docile and borderline unresponsive to humans.

The animal corpses were all burned far from the jail and no attempts to salvage meat were made. No one was risking anymore bliss in their systems.

There were crates of supplies scattered throughout the entrance, most were medical but a few had food in them. Jerome guessed they were recovered from hidden stashes since outposts were usually thoroughly searched for supplies after they were retaken, especially if it was months since any outpost had been liberated.

Some people took note of his arrival and waved, others walked up to him and gave warm welcomes. There were a few from confused and curious looks from people wondering just what he was doing in the Henbane. He understood it wasn't common for him to be so far from Falls End, especially under the circumstances. They must've come to the assumptions that he was there to help with the injured as no one said anything. Jerome made his way to the inside and to the cafeteria turned makeshift center of operations.

Looking around the cafeteria, Jerome could see that, despite the activity outside, spirits inside seemed to be mixed. Some folks were busy drinking away and celebrating the downfall of the cult, whilst others looked like they were tired and anxious for it all too finally come to an end. The only thing keeping the mood balanced was the alcohol and cheery doo-wop music playing on the intercom.

"Pastor Jerome? Well I'll be! What brings you over to our side of the county?"

Someone approached him from the farther ends of the cafeteria. Jerome recognized him as one of the many frequenters to his sermons, from before the war with Eden's Gate. It was slightly relieving that the man hadn't been one of the many who turned away to Joseph's teachings.

"Came to see the progress here, how the people were doing, amongst some other things."

"Well progress has been made, ever since Eden's Gate got their asses handed to them by the rookie" The man excitedly replied. One thing Jerome always kept in mind was that when discussing Eden's Gate, post-deputy leaving, was that no one ever played down his deeds or worse: pretend they never happened.

"That's also why I'm here to talk about the deputy… and Faith."

"Oh..." The man's face fell flat and he gave the other people behind them a quick yet uncertain glance. He then turned back to Jerome and with a curt nod, began walking away to outside.

"Good luck, Pastor. Maybe you'll get further with them than the sheriff did."

That wasn't exactly the most encouraging of statements, but Jerome appreciated the slight confidence nonetheless. Jerome found relief in the fact that the man didn't immediately begin talking about killing the deputy and Faith. That chatter was already extremely concerning.

Walking closer to where the majority of the cougars were, Jerome couldn't help but think that he chose the wrong time to bring up Faith or the deputy. More than a few people had bloodied bandages wrapped around various parts of their body. Talk was quiet and amongst groups of few. There was only so much alcohol and music could do to lighten the mood. Probably not enough discuss such things…

_I'm here already, let's just see this through._

Jerome walked to the center of the cafeteria and in front of the table that had a communications radio and map of the county. No one paid him much attention, they were all distracted and doing their own thing. Clearing his throat helped though, many now-curious eyes glanced upwards at him.

"Hello everyone," His greeting garnered a few hi's and what's up's. "I need to speak with you about something important…"

Jerome was certain that they knew what or who he was going to talk about. Thankfully, the people remained silent and waited for him to continue.

"I'm here to talk about the deputy," It was then that Jerome expected some reaction but aside from a couple of nods, the reaction he was expecting wasn't there. His next words would for certain break their silence. "And, of course, Faith Seed."

Reactions were mixed, amongst the collective eye rolls and groans were silent yet expectant stares and one or two hopeful smiles. There were also those that immediately left at the mention of Faith.

Jerome wouldn't let that deter him, of course, he was determined to try and make them see reason. This couldn't be like his trip to the Whitetail Mountains were he got nowhere with Tammy and the militia, there had to be some progress made.

"I understand that this isn't something some of you are willing to talk about, but it is time that we do." He started off, hoping to ease the conversation to Rook and what happened between the cougars and him.

"What are we gonna talk about?" A voice amongst the crowd rhetorically asked.

"How she screwed with people's heads?" They were still all too focused on Faith that any mention of Rook was overshadowed by reminders of what she had done to the Henbane River.

"This is her Pastor. This is what she did." The man pointed at his injuries. Amongst the recently bandaged wounds were scars of when the conflict in the Henbane was at full swing.

"She ruined our homes, our families and _he_ expected us to keep shut, to not react…

"There's reactions and there's also overreactions." A young woman retorted. Her sudden inclusion angered the man further.

"What're you talking about? You always agreed we needed her dead!" He accused. There were quiet murmurs of agreement but they didn't deter the young woman.

"I didn't fucking agree to killing the deputy too, Alan. That's on you and the rest of that group that marched up there that day!" She heatedly responded. Jerome didn't expect it to end violently but he had to calm both groups down.

_How long had they bottled all of this up? _It seemed his arrival and having brought up the subject brought out an argument that had been quietly brewing for a while.

"Everyone needs to calm down. My intent was to have a discussion with you, not a full blown argument." Jerome didn't know if the did it out of respect, or if the respective groups had said their piece, but everyone went quiet. "Let's forget Faith for a minute and go back to Rook."

"It's very clear that there was an overreaction in regards to the deputy. He didn't deserve what was done to him… what is being done to him."

"I mean… I really don't got nothing against the deputy or anything." The woman clarified. "He did a lot for us, we can't forget that."

"But Faith Seed? She and her group of crazies destroyed lives. You don't come back from being an Angel…"

"Yeah, her fucking drug resulted in the death of our mayor and the Marshall." An older woman exclaimed. The death of Minkler was more personal to the cougars than most others.

"Sure, the punishment she was gonna get wasn't gonna be a satisfying one but it was what Rook decided." The other woman continued, glaring at the other for having interrupted.

"So he was the only one that needed to decide that?"

Jerome decided he'd stick to the role of observer for the moment. The man, Alan, had a certain hate in his voice that made Jerome think he had something very personal against Faith.

"After everything he did for us and for the county? I don't see why the hell not." The young woman's words, along with the whispers of agreement from a few others, were of great relief to Jerome. That meant that things wouldn't be like in the Whitetails.

"Un-fucking-believable."

"We need to set aside all of this, and give Rook a chance to explain why he did what he did that day." Jerome told everyone, silently hoping that would set the conversation back on track. "This killing them both off mentality is dangerous, and it's going to get us nowhere."

The young woman and a few others openly agreed, while some looked unsure. Alan and the other majority found his words ridiculous.

"Let me ask you, Alan," Jerome addressed the man. "Do you know why the deputy spared Faith?"

"No." Was the begrudging answer.

"Because I assume you did not ask…"

"You know what? Fine." He stood up, picking up his rifle and slinging it over his shoulder. "Find them, bring them back and be ready for a world of disappointment. When you suddenly realize he isn't the same person, remember why he needed to go too…"

And with that, he left.

Jerome understood what the man meant. To the rest it sounded like he was referring to Faith having somehow converted the deputy to an Angel, but it was really about Nathan's conditioning, something Jerome had forgotten about. It wasn't a subject Nathan had ever let anyone know much about, just what the triggering song was and the immediate effects.

"Good riddance." The woman muttered. She turned her attention to Jerome. "Listen, Pastor, some of us do want to help the deputy but it's not gonna be easy."

"It certainly won't, but it's to be expected." He chuckled softly, things hadn't gone easy at any point aside from maybe the Holland Valley..

"You saw the anger people like Alan still have. It's gonna take more than just a couple of words to convince them to either rethink everything or at least to get out of the way."

"I suppose I'll have to consider that, but are you still willing to listen to the deputy and Faith?" It was clear they would listen to the deputy but Faith?... Jerome needed to know he wouldn't have to worry about this group trying to kill Faith as soon as they saw her.

"Frankly, I don't give two shits what she has to say, but if it'll help Rook…" She shrugged her shoulders.

"One more thing ma'am. While your willingness to help now is of great assistance, why didn't you help the deputy when he was under threat from the rest of the cougars?" He asked, hoping he didn't offend her. She didn't seem to have been so that was good.

"It's not like we didn't want to, but it's more of them than us." She responded. "Plus everyone was plenty pissed when he knocked the shit put of that poor guy the day of their escape."

"We had honestly expected the ultimatum that had been given to Rook was enough to get the message through." This time the resident quartermaster spoke up. "It's obvious now that after we cut him off so severely it wasn't gonna work, but no one gave it any thought then…"

Jerome nodded, it was interesting to see a prospective of things before everything went bad from people that didn't fill his ear with talk of "that traitor and the whore". He thanked the group and soon departed. While not exactly a victory, it could have gone the route of the talk with militia

_I'm glad this seems to be a step in the right direction. I need to focus on convincing others to be more open to discussion, but I can't do it alone here…_

It wasn't much, but he managed to get people to reconsider their approach and rethink about what they had done to the deputy. If he wanted to get more out of it, then he'd have to start off small next time. Trying to talk to a group of that size, all with very conflicting opinions, wouldn't work out, as evident.

So he'd start off again with the more approachable people. The ones that understood the overreaction of what happened leading up to the deputy and Faith running off but didn't find any issues in killing both to be one step closer to finally getting rid of the Seed family.

There was progress being made and that gave Jerome confidence that given some more time the thought of wanting to kill both Nathan and Faith would eventually dissipate from peoples minds.

* * *

Jess had to admit, Pastor Jerome really had a way with words. The people with him actually seemed to have an interest in what he had to say, despite it being about a subject no one liked talking about... at least not positively.

She'd been listening closely to his discussion. It was more of a one sided talk, everyone else either quickly refuted something he'd say or kept quiet.

"They aren't going to listen, don't know why he bothers trying…" She heard Tracey mumble behind her. There was an odd feeling of satisfaction at hearing her so upset. Had she not been there with a purpose, Jess might've wanted to take the time to relish it.

'I wouldn't speak too soon. It look like he has a couple of people listening." And that was true. There were more than a few people taking in his words and giving them some thought. "Maybe not everyone thinks the same."

As fine as that was, it wasn't what Jess was there for. Trying to change other people's views on the situation was something she'd leave to Jerome and the other's.

"So the offer, was it your idea?" The answer was obvious. Of course it had been her. "The one on these?'' She handed Tracey the paper with the offer to Nathan. Tracey gave it a quick glance and snorted quietly.

"Maybe." She shrugged and rolled her eyes at Jess's scowl, not fazed by it at all. "You're gonna scold me on that too?"

"It's fuckin' dumb, s'all I'm saying." To Jess it was much more than that. Right now, she couldn't be sure that Nathan would take the offer but a small part of her that despite thinking it was idiotic, he would.

"How so? Enlighten me, please." Tracey asked, probably rhetorically so but Jess seized the opportunity.

"You're making it seem like Faith didn't mess around with Nathan's head." Nothing could be confirmed yet so there was no definitive answer to what happened between Nathan and Faith before they ran away.

"And what if she didn't?"

"You really think you're somehow helping him with the offer? If the cult sees these, they're gonna find out that Faith is still alive, then they're gonna try to find her… _and _him!" It was only a matter of time before some cult straggler came across the poster and reported it back to Joseph.

"Then maybe he should stop wasting time and make up his mind." The dismissive tone in Tracey's voice greatly infuriated Jess.

"You never liked him, did you?" Jess always found that odd. While everyone else constantly championed Nathan, not that it meant much in the end, Tracey hardly ever did. She knew it had nothing to do with jealousy, or at least she hoped not. That would be the most petty and laughable reason to.

"Didn't hate him either if that's what you're getting at, Jess."

"Really? Then why are you acting like everything that happened was his fault?" Constantly blaming Nathan for the problems Eden's Gate caused was getting old.

"I get you liked the guy, but even you have to see how trying to arrest Joseph didn't exactly work out in anyone's favor." Tracey argued.

"Yeah, 'cause it was _he_ who decided on that. Things were going to shit long before Nate ever even set foot here." It wasn't like Eden's Gate was peacefully standing idle, simply waiting for Nathan and the rest of the sheriff's department to come knocking on the Father's door. Otherwise, there would've been no need for them, arrest warrants, or U.S Marshalls.

"He definitely kicked the hornet's nest." Again she only mentioned him. Not Whitehorse, not Hudson, Pratt or Burke just Nathan. _'Cause I'm sure he went there and the only thing on his mind was how he could piss off the cult._

"It wasn't just him." Jess wouldn't argue that the whole arresting Joseph thing was idiotic, but she wouldn't place the blame on one single person. Especially not the person who's major contribution to the whole ordeal was carrying a pair of handcuffs.

"What's up with you? You've rarely shown any emotion aside from being pissed all the time and now you're going above and beyond for Rook."

"Maybe it's because I can actually stand up for a friend." _Even after I didn't help him at first… _

"Looks like someone managed to break through Jess Black's cold and brash demeanor." As much as she hated to admit it, Tracey did have a point. Jess never opened up to anyone like she did Nate, but she wasn't telling that to her.

"You're finally starting to care about people!"

"Caring about him doesn't mean that…" She quietly responded. Sensing the conversation wouldn't be going anywhere, Jess didn't see any point in sticking around anymore. It was best that she left and continued her search for Nathan. It was either that or start another pointless argument with Tracey that she knew wouldn't end well. _For Tracey at least._

"Fuck this, I'm out."

"By all means, and don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out." Jess surprisingly ignored the comment and walked away. Talking to Tracey was going to get her nowhere so anything she wanted to find out about Faith would have to be her own research.

"Jess, wait!" She heard Tracey call out to her. Part of her wanted to keep walking and ignore her but after a few seconds of serious consideration, she turned to face her.

"What."

"Seeing you this worried has become more sad than amusing so I'll let you in on a little tidbit, our bliss girl was a real big fan of this." Tracey clenched two of her fingers against her palm, placed them against her other arm and quickly pulled them off. "Give her some of that, and she'll sing like you wouldn't fuckin' believe."

"What's with the sudden change of heart?" This didn't seem to be something Tracey she would do out of the kindness of her heart.

"Oh no, this isn't one. Hell no. This is just to keep you off my back for now."

"Thanks, I guess…" Jess was already aware of Faith's status as an ex junkie, Nathan had told her more than once. When he did, Jess assumed that it was one of the many calls for sympathy he tried on her but it was obvious she wasn't giving any. She never gave it any more thought but Tracey's words did serve as a helpful reminder. _Now THAT'S a first._

"Good luck."

She walked past the crowd of people and outside, all the while scratching out places where Nathan could've run off to with Faith. She saw the group of kids that had tried talking her into joining them on their hunt Already having ruled out the Holland Valley for the moment she turned to the other two regions, beginning with where she was: the Henbane.

It was obvious any outposts were out of the question, too many people. The many vacant cabins and prepper bunkers were the only things she couldn't yet rule out, but those always turned up empty unless she counted roaches and rats. And the occasional homeless person.

_This has been going on for way too long already. Once I find you, you're gonna owe me big-time, Nate._

* * *

The walk from the main gate to her ride was short but she stopped when she heard her name being called. For a brief moment she thought it could've been Tracey, but the voice was extremely hard to mistaken. Turning back she saw the sheriff approaching her.

_That was weird, Jess didn't remember the last time they ever spoke. What did he want?_

"Afternoon Jess." He greeted, tipping the brim of his hat. She awkwardly gave a "Sup?" in response, still confused as to why he was talking to her. Jess always had a feeling he didn't like her all that much, maybe because she wasn't the nicest person to be around.

"I heard you've been on the lookout for Rook and Faith. How long has it been?" Of course it was about that.

Jess shrugged. "Dunno, not long after they left I guess. I haven't really had a chance to count..."

"Every once in a while, we have some people looking for them, some of the more trustworthy and all on the down low to avoid any suspicion." Whitehorse told her. That didn't sound very foolproof to Jess. Any one of the people looking for Nathan and Faith could just be doing it to get to them first. "Its still hard to believe how quickly Rook managed to completely disappear…"

"Weren't they seen in the valley a while back?" Another voice asked. Jess saw one of the other two deputies, Hudson, walking over to them. She gave her a greeting nod that Jess awkwardly returned. Having never spoken to either of them for more than a few seconds, it felt weird having the both of them talking to her at once.

Unlike the respect and admiration she had for Nathan, she couldn't exactly say much about his co-workers. In general she felt the department wasn't very bright for thinking going anywhere near Joseph was a good idea, but that had been more under the request of the Marshall more than willingness from Whitehorse and the rest.

"That's what everyone was saying but looking around they were nowhere to be seen" The more she gave it thought, the more it sounded like a simple case of misidentification. Jess's only lead the whole time she searched there was word of mouth, not exactly much to go by.

"Hudson, what were the casualties?" Whitehorse asked her. The attack had come out of nowhere and completely caught them off guard.

"None, but two people lost an arm so..." The lingering uncertainty in her voice made her next words all the more concerning. "Sheriff… the bear that got them ran off, the only animal that got away."

"Shit. And how are they being treated?"

"They were taken to the Whitetails on account of them having more medical supplies than what's available here. I think someone mentioned a doctor that's there." She explained. A doctor? Jess had never heard of any trained medical professional in the militia. The most she knew about Resistance doctors were people brave enough to hastily treat a bullet wound.

"Isn't there one in the Holland Valley? Why not just take 'em there?" Unless he had left the valley for the mountains? Maybe after the Holland was liberated.

"Well they haven't shown up to the clinic in weeks, and Tammy had sent some of her guys as soon as word got out of what happened."

"You guys heard Jerome in there?" Jess felt she'd be stupid to think either would disagree with him but she was inclined to ask.

Whitehorse and Hudson nodded.

"We don't have a lot of people that are willing to think it through, at least if they do then it's in private." Trying to calm down the ire of the cougars had proven to be extremely difficult. Whitehorse had only managed to make some consider not killing Nathan, and even less than that were able to have their minds changed on the situation.

"It's no use trying to get anything through them. We all agree that Nathan sparing Faith was stupid and very dangerous but in the end it was his decision."

"There was also some talk amongst our big game hunters about bounties, broke those up real quick. The last thing we need is someone hunting them for sport."

"That's going to be a problem… We can't have any of them getting the bright idea of thinking they can take on Rook."

"Where's the other guy, Pratt?"

"He's somewhere inside, said he wasn't feeling well. Must've been the bliss plus… he hasn't been in the same state of mind anymore…"

"Well, I won't take away any more of your time. I'll see you around." Whitehorse needed to check up on the injured, and talk with Pastor Jerome.

"Later." Jess walked off, relieved she didn't have to stay in the jail any longer.

Hudson caught up to the Sheriff and asked a question she had been pondering on ever since he had told her that people were looking for Nathan and Faith. "Sheriff, don't you worry about what'll happen when they're found?"

"Who knows how much Faith has been influencing Nathan." She continued. There was the worry that maybe Nathan had changed drastically under Faith's influence, and not for the better.

Whitehorse must have sensed her distress. "I'm worried too Hudson. But there isn't much to do except to wait."

* * *

After the discussion that happened not long ago, Kim felt it needed to continue if they wanted to make progress and narrow some things down. "We should get someone else to talk about this with. Someone that isn't Hurk or Sharky."

They were still going to be needed later but they would have to be separated from each other in order to get better answers. For now, it was best they stayed wherever they were.

"Maybe just for now."

"Got anybody on your mind?" Nick was quietly relieved they would get the cousins out of their hairs. He liked them, he really did! They just weren't taking things as seriously as they should have.

"Mary," Kim responded. She glanced upwards when she heard stifled whimpers from their bedroom. They quickly went quiet, and she continued. "Aside from Jerome, she's one of the few people we know the best."

"Sure, I suppose so. Remind me, were just gonna hear her opinion right? Because as far as I know she don't really want Nate dead." That would've been a surprising change of attitude. It was clear as day to everyone in Falls End that at one point there had been more between the bartender and the deputy. Nick knew of this because Nathan had told him, a smug grin never leaving his face as he did.

"Obviously. We need more input on this than just you, me, Grace or Hurk and Sharky. Who else but the person running things in town?" Being that Mary May was basically the leader of the resistance in Falls End and to an extent, Holland Valley, Kim knew she had her own opinions on the matter.

"Not just her, but other people too. We've got to get everyone's thoughts on this, make sure we're all on the same page." The people in the valley had never been onboard with killing Nathan but they wouldn't complain if someone got Faith. There were then those still adamant on getting rid of her, and they came to understand that they'd probably have to get Nathan out of the way first.

"For now though, let's just get her and see what her thoughts are. With any luck she'll help persuade other's to be more receptive." That was one of the main reasons Kim saw the importance of talking to Mary May first: People listened to her. "Also, she, unlike us, paid close attention to what was going on in the Henbane and the mountains."

"Speaking of paying close attention, I also gotta go back to looking for them. Maybe just one last trip over the valley." Nick didn't have high hopes but the seventh time was surely the charm.

"It's sweet to see you still looking for him" He was doing this for his friend, out of concern for Nathan. "…and her I suppose."

"Thanks honey, it's the least we can do for him. I always wanted to repay him for what he did, but he wouldn't take the vinyl's in the hangar."

"Like Nick Rye could ever live without his Supremes!" The thought of Nick giving those up made her laugh. 'One day they'll be worth a fortune' He always said.

"I thank God he never took 'em, with no internet how the hell would I get them back?"

"Anyways, this whole talk, what do you think Mary's uh… position is?" Nick hadn't given much thought to how she and the rest of the valley would think of the discussion.

"I don't know. She doesn't want the deputy dead an-" She was abruptly cut off.

"No, no she does not." Nick suddenly interrupted, confusing Kim.

"Right..." She continued after that brief moment. "But I mean it's probably like everyone else, she wouldn't be sad if Nathan was the only one returning."

"Grace is still gonna be around, hun?"

"Yeah, aside from Hurk and Sharky she's the only other person we've got in on this." Though soon after the initial discussion, Grace had departed somewhere else in the valley. She didn't specify where only that she'd return soon.

"You ever wonder if maybe the cult knows she's alive? It's not like they ever found her body…" The thought always popped up whenever Nick saw the random Peggie hiding out or Angel wandering around the marshes near the edge of the valley while he flew. The Peggies weren't dumb enough to move into any habited areas and the Angels hardly walked more than two feet from their last position, so he didn't see them as any threat.

"Probably. They might be looking for her, _if _they know of what happened between the resistance and Rook." Otherwise, they'd most likely think Faith was locked up in the Hope County Jail and that didn't seem worth the risk, at least not to Kim. "Then there'd be _that _to worry about."

"Yep. For now let's focus on what we need to talk about. You wanna give Mary a call?"

"Sure."

* * *

_**AN: Hey everyone, chapter 30's finally here. I apologize for not being able to get this up sooner, this past month was an awful one. Next chapter is obviously still coming this month, no reason to push that.**_

_**I kept getting constant 404 and 403 errors since Wednesday, which was the intended upload day, and I just couldn't get past the site menu. Funny, I'd never seen them until about a month ago.**_

_**This is already thirty chapters in which was the original length I had planned long ago. Now? Maybe 15-20 more and it's a wrap.**_


	31. Sun Country

Jess had barely made her way through the parking lot and into the Henbane woods when it just suddenly _had to_ start raining. Mild rainwater began falling rapidly, nearly drenching her completely and putting her leave on hold. After another pointless discussion that had gone nowhere, she'd been wanting to finally leave the jailhouse and the Henbane. With Nathan still out there she was itching to resume the search, leaving the talking and convincing to Jerome. If there was anybody that had a chance at changing the people's minds on what to do with the situation, it was him. Maybe he could be the one to talk some sense into Tracey and get her to back off, though that was unlikely. But as long as she didn't intervene with the search Jess could not care any less what she did.

Jess alternated between a half-sprint and an awkward speed walk back to the jail, so grateful her jacket covered her from the surprisingly fat droplets of water. She saw that a few people walked outside to take in the rain, thanking God for gifting it to them but a particular group cursed it for having interrupted their game of chess.

She made her way back inside and towards the main area. There she saw the Sheriff with the other two deputies, all still in their uniforms, looking over a map of the county and highlighting potential exit routes like the rivers in the Valley and any mountain passes.

"Jess, back so soon? You get caught in the rain?" The Sheriff greeted her with smaller "heys" from his other two deputies.

"Not just me, it got everyone outside too." She jerked a finger at the people that were making their way inside.

"I'll have to remind everyone to check for any leakage, the last thing we need is any excess amount of water making it inside." He signaled a Cougar to check the rooftops for any holes through which water could get through.

Jess nodded absentmindedly and looked back at the map on the table. It looked like Orville creek in Holland had been a point of interest if the big circle that was drawn around it was anything to go by. _Trying to get out again huh? Let's see how it goes this time. _Jess was betting whatever team would get bombed down by Chosen airplanes.

"We're looking to see if we can make it out of the county and get help from the outside. We figured now that the Father's practically disappeared we could do it without being detected by any roaming Chosen." Hudson explained to her. She pointed at several other spots near the far end of the Whitetail mountains. "We're also hoping to get some of the more experienced climbers and hikers to take the journey out through the mountains."

"From there we'd let the higher-ups deal with locating Joseph Seed and whatever's left of the project." Whitehorse finished, pointing a finger at the island where the church was. Though that had been empty for months already there was still a small chance that Joseph had returned with his people to reclaim it.

"Anyway, Jess I've been wanting to talk about Rook for a while. Figure you could indulge me for a couple of minutes?"

"I suppose I got some spare time, " Jess was mentally bracing herself for another awkward conversation with a group of people she had barely ever spoken to in the months they knew each other.

"You were the only person that knew him more than anyone, even us. He always kept to himself at the department." Whitehorse had never been bothered too much by that, after all, he still did his job diligently. "That I'd like to know what you two went through when the war was still going strong."

That was not what Jess had in mind when he told her he wanted to talk about Nathan. She thought it would be another usual questionnaire on what she'd do when they met again. _Well, I agreed so i may as well get this over with._

"What can I say really? Those liberated outposts could tell you more of a story than I really could. Though I always thought he didn't like me too much..." Jess never talked much about her adventures with Nathan because she never felt she needed to. Even Nathan kept quiet about the ins and outs of their operations, usually only commenting on a finished job.

Maybe she could tell them a little more. After all, they couldn't be that actually incompetent if they survived this much.

So she did just that. Let them know all about what went on in the Whitetails to the Henbane and everything in between. For as weird as it felt basically retelling everything that had happened, Jess went on, obviously omitting some things she knew Nathan would want to be excluded. She finished with their was their last job together at the brewery days before he went off to confront Faith.

"Sounds like our Rookie really managed to get to you huh?" Was apparently Whitehorse's assessment of everything she had just told them.

_The hell does he mean by that?_

"What do you mean?" Get to her? No one was getting to her, not without her say so. "Like... getting on my nerves?"

"No, what I mean is that just as you clearly changed him, he did the same to you." He clarified.

_Change me? Yeah right... _Aside from some minor changes in music choice, Jess really didn't agree with that. Now had _she _changed Nate? Well, he was gone so not enough apparently.

"Had we really changed each other we wouldn't be in this mess would we?"

"Have to agree with her there boss," Pratt spoke up after a long period of nothing but silence from him. There was still an out of place look about him like he wasn't a hundred percent there emotionally. Jess understood it was due to what that sick bastard Jacob had put him through, it had been the same type of look Nathan had for a while after he killed Jacob.

Whitehorse smiled and looked at Jess. "Well, I'll tell you this. When you were with Rook here some people were highly wary of you because of y'know... the bow and arrows plus your brash attitude."

"Of course, he always spoke very highly of you, asking people to see past your demeanor." Though she didn't really care what people thought of her, she appreciated Nathan's efforts.

"And now the fact that you're actively looking for him and also being on Tracey's case so often. I'll agree she's a tough case isn't she?" Though her newfound hard edge was due to the fact that Minkler was dead and his murderer had basically gone off scott free.

"I'm standing up for my friend, why wouldn't I want her to back off?"

"Would you have done that for someone prior to meeting him?" He asked, curious as to what her answer would be.

Jess knew the answer was no because there had never been anyone before Nathan that had been such an influence to her, besides her grandmother. _Wait... Did he?_

_"No..."_ There it was.

"Rook always had the law in mind when it came to dealing with the Seeds, so even when he talked about there being good in Faith it didn't mean she would be free of punishment," Whitehorse reminded her. "But he was adamant about that."

"_Yeah... He was._ And it cost him everything." Hudson murmured from the side. She like Pratt had resorted to simply listening to their conversation with very little input.

"I'm not saying he was definitely right this time but... If he was right about you, then maybe he could've been right about her..." He finished, letting the words settle in her mind. She refused to those words but she'd keep that to herself.

"Thank you for your time anyway Jess, if you should get back out there, I'd suggest you do it now the sun's setting." _Fucking finally! _With a half-hearted "later" Jess walked away from the group.

"Hey, Jess," Hudson called to her. Jess turned to see the woman walk over to her in a rather quick pace.

"Yeah?"

"I know this probably doesn't need to be asked, but do keep us posted if you find him, please. I think you know we also want to help him..." Jess knew Hudson was a different case when it came to ties with Nate. She was the only one who really knew him before his arrival to Hope County but other than that neither really talked about it much.

"Sure," Jess assured, walking off to the outside wanting to finally leave the jailhouse after so long. After all, Nathan wasn't going to find himself.

* * *

Now Jess wanted to leave more than before. She had to go clear her head for a while after everything and so she figured she'd do just that. The rain had long since stopped leaving the dampened air that made the summer heat worse.

Whitehorse's talk stuck with her on her way out. It was weird that their first actual conversation that didn't involve how best to take down Eden's Gate had left her thinking so much and the more she gave it thought the more she realized that maybe they were right. Maybe Nathan _had_ managed to get further past her exterior than what he realized or she cared to openly admit.

He had seen something in her that made him stick around her immediately after they met and well beyond that. Whatever it was that Nate saw in her also gave _her_ the only person she had actually cared about in a very long time. But then that also brought her to her next question...

Could Nathan have been right or at least on to something in regards to Faith? No. Not a chance. Jess shut that thought down almost as fast as it had popped in her head.

Just because Nathan was insistent that their was some other side of Faith no one else saw didn't mean he was right about it being a good one. Faith was a manipulator through and through and Nathan well... Jess felt Nathan could be incredibly naive, _sometimes._ The time he spent with Faith could've been more than enough for her to mess with his head and lure him into believing her every word. Because that was what she did, didn't she? Made her way into your head till eventually you fell prey to her words and Nathan had been no different from that, it had just taken longer.

That made Jess wonder what could really be done if Nathan was too far gone after all that time, what _she _would do. Perhaps the day when they met again, they'd figure it out and see it through together, as the team that they were.

* * *

She suddenly heard the rotating blades of a chopper and looked up to see one fast approaching her. The closer it got the more Jess could make it out and thankfully it didn't seem to be a peggie one. Otherwise she'd have overpowered and been caught with her metaphorical pants down.

As it landed a few yards from her Jess looked at the paint job and sighed. Of course it was Adelaide's, who else would it be? _Let's__ get this over with, I've got a search to get back to..._

The ugly pink camo was unmistakable and was something only someone like Adelaide would have. Nathan had found it cool when they first saw it but he had also been as high as a kite that day on some of Hurk's stuff.

"Hey darling, how's it going?" Adelaide greeted her from inside the chopper. Once she stepped out and walked over to her did Jess respond.

"Cool, I guess. Kinda boring with no peggies around anymore."

"They're gone for good?"

"Nah, not really but trying to find them's a pain in the ass so with any luck they'll just starve to death." Jess really hoped that wouldn't apply to Joseph. That fucker didn't deserve to die on anything other than Nathan's terms.

"So I've been told you're looking for the deputy and Faith for a while now huh? Must be exhausting." Adelaide asked, sounding surprisingly sympathetic. Jess felt that despite being related to Hope County's two biggest idiots, Adelaide was better off in terms of maturity and smarts. _She could be over the top sometimes, but who isn't?_

"It's more annoying than anything, like who knew he could be such a slippery little shit."

"So what brought you over to the jailhouse? I doubt you'll find them there. Unless you got a sweetheart there?"

"Fuck no! I came to talk to Tracey about the flower bitch. They used to be close friends years ago or some shit like that." Though that had gotten her absolutely nowhere and only proved to be a gigantic waste of time just like the other times they'd talked.

That part surprised Adelaide. So did that mean that was more to Faith after all?

"I've also wanted her to back off on the whole situation and shit, it's bad enough we forced Nathan's hand that day."

Adelaide frowned slightly at her words. "Tracey had a part in that?"

"Yeah... and so did I for some stupid ass reason..."

"Well, it's nice of you to at least know you screwed up on that, looks like the deputy's starting to rub off on ya' and... not in the sexual kind of course." Jess understood well enough what she meant and maybe like the Sheriff, Adelaide was on to something.

"Since we're here to tell each other what we know so I guess it's my turn." Not that she didn't appreciate the gesture, but Jess was highly doubtful Adelaide knew much about what had been going on in the county much less anything newsworthy to her.

"Here's something I thought you'd like to know, Junior and Sharky found Nathan in the valley clinic."

As if her mind was on a delay, Jess took time to process just exactly what she'd been told. There was no way those words came out of her mouth, did they? _Did... Did I hear her right?_

_"Wait what!?"_ There was no masking the surprise and slight excitement in her voice. _Nate was still in the valley!?_

"Yup, he met up with those two for help. I still dunno why he'd look for those two though. They got the combined intelligence of a darn 'possum."

Any other day and Jess would've laughed at the comparison but right now she wanted to have the two of them right in front of her so she could murder them.

"So Hurk and Sharky... they know where Nate is?"

"Mhmm, talked to him and everything but one day Grace overhead them talking about him and they spilled." Grace knew too! _What the fuck why wouldn't she have told me!?_

_They knew all along? _They were well aware that she had been all over the county going off on whatever grain of information she got to try and find Nathan to no luck. Going around like an absolute idiot in circles only for them to be in the valley.

Friendship with him or not, Jess was going to beat the shit out of Hurk and Sharky

"I... I gotta go..."

"Did I say somethin' wrong?" Adelaide received no response as Jess had already left. For a moment she stood there confused and slightly miffed but then it all began to dawn on her... _God damnit Addie!_

* * *

Adelaide realized she might've put her son and nephew in a very awkward position after what she revealed. Jess was really gonna let those two have it when she got to the valley. Maybe she should warn them to go back home? _Nah,__ they need a fuckin' scaring or two, hopefully, she doesn't go too far... _

As for herself, she had to make it to the jail and see what had been going on with the Cougars and Tracey. Another thing was that she needed to call Nathan and tell him just who she had encountered. She was curious to see what his reaction would be, concern probably.

Though that would all have to wait as she felt her radio go off from inside her shirt. _I really need to buy a clip for this damn thing, it's worse than the toy back at home._

Who could possibly be calling her? She suspected it was Hurk asking for money again but part of her was worried maybe something wrong went wrong back at her marina between Nathan and the people there. She really hoped Xander had done what he could in getting them to mellow out.

Not knowing what to expect, she held up the radio and pressed on the button to talk. "This is Adelaide, who am I speakin' to?"

_"Hey, Addie!" _Came Nick's greeting from the other line. _Nick Rye? __What could he need? _They hadn't spoken to each other in quite some time though the fact that it was him who was calling and not someone else was... oddly relieving. Maybe because she didn't want to give Hurk any more money or possibly find out that her marina had been the fighting ground between the deputy and the Cougars.

"Well goddamn, Nick Rye! To who do I owe the pleasure of this call?" She winced slightly at her faux-enthusiasm that was too much even for her_. Kinda overdoing it a little Addie.._. Nick didn't seem to notice though.

_"Well I had been wanting to get in contact but I always figured you're too busy doing your thing to make time and drop by the valley."_

"Oh, you know me Nick, gotta keep my chopper in the skies and my marina in tip-top shape." That and being around the Spread Eagle brought back some unpleasant memories of her younger self dragging a wasted Hurk Senior out by the collar of his shirt.

_"That's cool. I've been running some maintenance on Carmina, one of the gatling guns is jamming up but anyways... I wanted to talk to you about our friend, Nathan, and Faith Seed."_

"Oh yeah, what about them? Were they found or something?"

_"Not yet, but that's what we're preparing for. If we find them we have to be ready for the worst y'know, when it comes to Nathan."_

"How so?"

_"Faith could've messed with his head, used the Bliss or something else to get him to fall in line. Our friend probably doesn't even know where he is or what he's doing!" _

That was... unexpected. While Adelaide suspected Nick would be vocal about what happened but she didn't expect him to rant the same way everyone did. It was beginning to get annoying fast.

_Well, Nicky, he's in my marina and what he's doing? Based on the looks he gave her probably the Seed gal, _but Adelaide wouldn't tell him that especially not that last part. No, Nathan and Faith's whereabouts would remain a secret for a while longer.

"Oh _c'mon_, not you too Nick?" How many times had people been saying the same thing? The fact that she and a couple of others had seen Nathan and Faith first-hand without him going haywire disproved that theory.

_"Huh?"_

"None of us know what in the hell happened between them before they ran off. Our dearest lawman had gotten the boot before we even heard a peep on his end." Even she didn't know yet, and right now she was only one helping him! She'd know it all in due time, they had agreed to that.

"It's best to stop flinging one conspiracy after another, leave that craziness to Kupka or the Parker kid. We need to focus on what we do know and go on from there."

_"And how would you know that's not what happened?"_ He was right. How could Adelaide really be sure that wasn't what had happened? _I guess I can't really be can I? Just gotta trust Nathan on that._

"I don't but Nick, it's been almost three months since anyone's seen or heard anything about them." She briefly paused and noticed that she was beginning to sound genuinely angry. That wasn't good.

"Look, if Faith really worked her charms on him, then what the hell was her plan? To take him back to the cult with her?" Because she hadn't... _Nathan _had brought_ her _back to the Henbane. "There's been hardly any cult activity since then Nick, c'mon..."

_"It just really makes no sense to me but I guess that's... that's a possibility."_

"Mhmm, and as of now, he's yet to be seen in those soiled cult rags with a gun in one hand and that fuckin' weirdo Joseph Seed's book in the other." Sensing that her anger was towards Nick and his stubbornness, she decided to lighten the mood and hopefully put an end to their conversation already. "Though who knows really? You could be right and we may have to put 'em down..."

_"What in the... You're joking right?"_

"Relax Nicky I'm just kidding with you. I doubt it'll come to that."

_"Yeah... I mean, I guess. Anyways, I gotta get back to the wife and little rugrat so I'll catch you later."_

_Oh_,_ thank Mary..._

"But don't be a stranger alright? And tell Kim I said hi!" Adelaide bid him farewell and took some time to process their talk. As interesting as their conversation had been, Adelaide still had to get to the jailhouse and talk to Tracey, see if she still thought the same of everything.

Before she turned the engine of her chopper back on Adelaide remembered she still had to give Nathan a call and let him know of just who she'd met up with. With any luck, he would at least appreciate the heads up.

* * *

**_That's all she wrote, sorry._**


End file.
